War Thunder forums hit again as players leak classified military data in another online mishap
A War Thunder player has once again blurred the boundaries between gaming and military intelligence. The popular combat simulator is dealing with another leak of restricted documents, this time from an AV-8B Harrier manual, for the ninth time.A War Thunder user was banned for posting pages from the restricted AV-8B Harrier flight manual.
The leak, labeled "Distribution Statement C," adds to a growing list of incidents in which classified or export-restricted military documents appeared in forums, forcing developers to remove posts and enforce strict rules, as per a report by UK Defence Journal.
Due to its legal limitations, the AV-8B Harrier handbook that was posted on the War Thunder forum is a controversial topic.
Gaijin Entertainment created the free-to-play combat simulation game War Thunder, which depicts air, land, and naval combat from several historical periods. A sizable community of military enthusiasts, including active and retired service members, is drawn to the game because of its realism and meticulous attention to technical detail.
ALSO READ: Iran strikes US base in Qatar, Saudi airspace closed — WWE Night of Champions now hanging by a thread Players frequently engage in lengthy discussions about the performance of different military vehicles, which has occasionally prompted some to share actual military documents in an attempt to "correct" the representation of vehicles, as quoted in a report by UK Defence Journal.The community manager for War Thunder verified that the document violated the forum's guidelines and was promptly deleted, as per the report.The use of any export-controlled, classified, or otherwise restricted documentation is strictly prohibited by the developer's policy. The community manager reaffirmed that regardless of the purpose of the post, no such content is allowed on the company's platforms and that these guidelines are strictly enforced.A portion of a NATOPS handbook for the US Navy and Marine Corps' AV-8B and TAV-8B Harrier was uploaded by a user in the most recent instance. The handbook is designated "Distribution Statement C," indicating that only authorized U.S. government employees and contractors may use it and that it has not been authorized for public release. An anonymous former RAF engineer told the UK Defence Journal, "It's unlikely that this is the largest leak ever. There are online manuals available, particularly the older ones. However, War Thunder and other platforms must take action if it is marked as restricted or controlled.Even if the documents are widely disseminated informally or are accessible online, export control laws still apply. Regardless of how "outdated" the content is, violations of Distribution Statement C, ITAR, and other national security frameworks may lead to legal action.According to Gaijin Entertainment, the creation of in-game vehicles is never influenced by such content. Developers have consistently dissuaded users from submitting or discussing restricted material and only use legally accessible, publicly available sources to modify vehicle performance.War Thunder's rules, which forbid posting restricted or export-controlled content, could result in this being removed and banned. Even if the document is leaked or posted on a file-sharing website, its legal status is unaffected, despite some fans doubting the restriction's gravity. Why was the Harrier manual removed from the forum?It was labeled "Distribution Statement C," which makes it legally restricted and violates forum rules.
Is this the first leak for War Thunder? No, this is at least the ninth instance in which restricted documents were posted by players.
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