NSA and GCHQ spies 'operated in games including World of Warcraft and Second Life' An NSA document reportedly claims to suggest that such infiltration "continues to uncover potential Sigint value by identifying accounts, characters and guilds related to Islamic extremist groups, nuclear proliferation and arms dealing." But, while the NSA claims to have found people of interest who used various software, it is unclear whether or not they were actually using it for any nefarious purpose, or simply enjoying the game. The leaked documents do not offer any clues as to how many gamers may have been observed by security services. The makers of World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment, told the New York Times that neither the NSA nor GCHQ had sought permission to access gamers" information: "We are unaware of any surveillance taking place. If it was, it would have been done without our knowledge or permission. A 2008 NSA document said that online games were a "target-rich communication network" where spies could "hide in plain sight." At one point there were so many spies operating in Second Life that a "deconfliction" group was suggested to stop the CIA, FBI and Pentagon from spying on each other, reports the New York Times. The infiltration of video games came despite evidence from experts that there was little risk of terrorists using them to communicate. Peter W. Singer of the Brookings Institution said: "For terror groups looking to keep their communications secret, there are far more effective and easier ways to do so than putting on a troll avatar." Today eight of the biggest technology companies united to speak out against NSA spying on public. Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, AOL, Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Yahoo, have formed an alliance called Reform Government Surveillance group to call on President Barack Obama and members of Congress to reform surveillance laws.