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Angry Birds among apps now accessible to NSA data capture - report

Angry Birds is reportedly among a new wave of apps eligible for data capture by America's National Security Agency and Britain's Government Communications Headquarters.

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It follows an expose that revealed spying attempts in World of Warcraft and other videogames, over suspicions that they were used as meeting and planning grounds by terrorist organisations.

The New York Times reports that leaked intelligence documents originating from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden suggest that both agencies have the means to monitor smartphone apps, and extract data regarding the user's name, age, sex and location, among other topics.

The documents suggest that both the NSA and GCH were working together to establish access to smartphone apps with a view to capture data by 2007, and that both sides shared tech and knowledge on the best methods involving the release of location data when a user activates Google Maps, to leeching a person's address books and contacts.

The New York Times names Angry Birds as one of the games at the mercy of such spying techniques.

We'll have more on this as it comes. Stay tuned.

Via GameInformer.

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Angry Birds

iOS, PC, Windows Phone

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Dave Cook avatar

Dave Cook

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Dave worked on VG247 for an extended period manging much of the site's news output. As well as his experience in games media, he writes for comics, and now specializes in books about gaming history.

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