Nintendo Used ‘Tactical’ Surveillance Against 3DS Hacker, Reveal Documents

According to TorrentFreak, recently leaked documents have revealed that Nintendo ran an in-depth and intelligence agency-like surveillance operation against a 3DS Homebrew developer and exploit researcher who went by the moniker ‘Neimod’.

The company first engaged an undercover investigator to trail and surveil the hacker, building a comprehensive dossier in the process, according to leaked documents shared by @forestillusion:

Reposting this to hide the sensitive information, but Nintendo literally stalked this guy. pic.twitter.com/rFCHIJ1CI4

— Forest of Illusion (@forestillusion) December 22, 2020

The hacker was found to be a 26-year old male living with his parents in Belgium, with Nintendo figuring out everything about the individual’s life, including work hours and other schedules.

Armed with extensive information on Neimod’s life, work, interests, personal relationships, and schedule, Nintendo assembled a team sometime around April 15, 2013 to make contact with the hacker, and developed a detailed operational plan for the “Knock and Talk”.

Image: TorrentFreak

Neimod, who is often reduced to the “subject” in the leaked documents, could have either been receptive to being approached by the team of Nintendo representatives, or been completely offended by it. Nintendo’s plan, however, accounted not only for those two possibilities but also for all others.

Nintendo’s “Final Enforcement Proposal” that was also part of the leak included a “carrot and stick” approach, and whether Neimod was open to negotiation on a friendly avenue or not, the console manufacturer had elaborate plans to get the outcome they wanted.

While a tech company’s need to protect their Intellectual Property is understandable, the almost ‘cloak and dagger’ nature of the entire operation is unnerving at best and criminal at worst, and goes to show the effort Nintendo went to, in order to crack down on the hacker.