Sept 10, 2007
Next-gen consoles have been banned from UK prisons due to concerns that they could be used to coordinate terror attacks.
Back inMarch, UK home secretary John Reid was quoted saying, "Advice was issued to all prisons in December 2005 that the Sony PlayStation 3 was barred from the prison estate because of the equipment's ability to send and receive radio signals."
The banning of game consoles in UK prisons has now seemingly been extended to Microsoft and Nintendo systems. UK tabloid The Sun reports that Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's DS consoles have all reportedly been banned from prisons as threats to the peace.
A source told the tabloid, "The technology in the new generation of computer games makes [the consoles] a security risk.
"There is concern that top terror suspects have been using systems already in jails. Radio software is an integral part of the equipment."
The plot thickens with asecret security report obtained by The Sun suggesting that fears extend beyond the communication capabilities offered by next-gen consoles, with the banning of all game consoles in prisons still a possibility.
Courtesy of Next Generation.
