Comments on: The Armory Is An Invasion Of Privacy, Period http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434 Virtual worlds, massive multiplayer games and assorted ramblings Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:37:26 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Tesh http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434&cpage=1#comment-1534 Tesh Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:56:55 +0000 http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434#comment-1534 It will be interesting to see if there is any fuss once cross-game monitoring becomes more prevalent. Apparently, you can already see when friends log into STO if you're in CO, for example, and start up conversations across games. ...but what if I don't *want* people to know what I'm doing? (And yes, I'm allergic to Facebook...) Yes, there should be opt-in flags. It's surprising that they didn't include such out of the box... and more than a little arrogant. (Of course, the same could be said of government, as Ysh rightly notes...) Smart businesses (and governments) really shouldn't be in the habit of annoying their patrons. It will be interesting to see if there is any fuss once cross-game monitoring becomes more prevalent. Apparently, you can already see when friends log into STO if you’re in CO, for example, and start up conversations across games.

…but what if I don’t *want* people to know what I’m doing? (And yes, I’m allergic to Facebook…)

Yes, there should be opt-in flags. It’s surprising that they didn’t include such out of the box… and more than a little arrogant. (Of course, the same could be said of government, as Ysh rightly notes…)

Smart businesses (and governments) really shouldn’t be in the habit of annoying their patrons.

]]> By: /AFK – Let’s All Play Whatever Stargrace Is Playing Edition « Bio Break http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434&cpage=1#comment-1512 /AFK – Let’s All Play Whatever Stargrace Is Playing Edition « Bio Break Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:40:57 +0000 http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434#comment-1512 [...] Don’t Fear  The Mutant has a severe problem with WoW’s Armory [...] [...] Don’t Fear  The Mutant has a severe problem with WoW’s Armory [...]

]]> By: Online Privacy And Why It’s Important - We Fly Spitfires - MMORPG Blog http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434&cpage=1#comment-1501 Online Privacy And Why It’s Important - We Fly Spitfires - MMORPG Blog Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:01:05 +0000 http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434#comment-1501 [...] As you probably know, Blizzard recently made their WoW Armory feeds public. This means that anyone and everyone can view a list of your in-game achievements and accomplishments. Big whoop, right? Not quite. This apparently innocent feature has caused quite a storm and lead many to deride Blizzard for invading our personal privacy. [...] [...] As you probably know, Blizzard recently made their WoW Armory feeds public. This means that anyone and everyone can view a list of your in-game achievements and accomplishments. Big whoop, right? Not quite. This apparently innocent feature has caused quite a storm and lead many to deride Blizzard for invading our personal privacy. [...]

]]> By: Yeebo http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434&cpage=1#comment-1500 Yeebo Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:40:44 +0000 http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434#comment-1500 I have to say I agree 100%. Yeah, it's a pretty harmless invasion of privacy. However, if you don't put your foot down when there is little at stake, you'll eventually be forced into a battle where a lot is at stake. I have to say I agree 100%. Yeah, it’s a pretty harmless invasion of privacy. However, if you don’t put your foot down when there is little at stake, you’ll eventually be forced into a battle where a lot is at stake.

]]> By: Petter http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434&cpage=1#comment-1496 Petter Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:13:04 +0000 http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434#comment-1496 <i>Blizzard don’t have the right to reveal what we get up to in the game.</i> Exactly. They might own our characters and all things associated with them, something I believe they should, but the activity log is showing <i>us</i>, the people behind those characters. It's not much info, but it's enough info to to be invasive. <i>It all raises some interesting questions about privacy online and how *everything* we do it tracked and how we depend on the companies we use to be responsible with it.</i> The word "responsible" is key here. I don't mind Blizzard logging everything I do, that's perfectly fine since I've accepted the EULA and believe they need to police our actions to catch "bad guys". It is not a responsible use to share some of that information with the world, even in this quite limited form, without our consent. Great comments, Ysh and WFS! Blizzard don’t have the right to reveal what we get up to in the game.

Exactly. They might own our characters and all things associated with them, something I believe they should, but the activity log is showing us, the people behind those characters. It’s not much info, but it’s enough info to to be invasive.

It all raises some interesting questions about privacy online and how *everything* we do it tracked and how we depend on the companies we use to be responsible with it.

The word “responsible” is key here. I don’t mind Blizzard logging everything I do, that’s perfectly fine since I’ve accepted the EULA and believe they need to police our actions to catch “bad guys”. It is not a responsible use to share some of that information with the world, even in this quite limited form, without our consent.

Great comments, Ysh and WFS!

]]> By: Petter http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434&cpage=1#comment-1495 Petter Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:11:31 +0000 http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434#comment-1495 <i>Standing up for one’s right to privacy doesn’t equate either having something to hide or being afraid of harm.</i> Exactly, well put. :) Standing up for one’s right to privacy doesn’t equate either having something to hide or being afraid of harm.

Exactly, well put. :)

]]> By: We Fly Spitfires http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434&cpage=1#comment-1494 We Fly Spitfires Sat, 23 Jan 2010 11:54:06 +0000 http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434#comment-1494 Couldn't agree with you more, Petter. It's obviously a clear invasion of privacy protected by the statement that "it's just a game, who cares?". Yes, the information is harmless is almost every situation but you're completely right when you say that it's the player business and their's alone. Blizzard don't have the right to reveal what we get up to in the game. It all raises some interesting questions about privacy online and how *everything* we do it tracked and how we depend on the companies we use to be responsible with it. Couldn’t agree with you more, Petter. It’s obviously a clear invasion of privacy protected by the statement that “it’s just a game, who cares?”. Yes, the information is harmless is almost every situation but you’re completely right when you say that it’s the player business and their’s alone. Blizzard don’t have the right to reveal what we get up to in the game.

It all raises some interesting questions about privacy online and how *everything* we do it tracked and how we depend on the companies we use to be responsible with it.

]]> By: Ysharros http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434&cpage=1#comment-1473 Ysharros Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:37:19 +0000 http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434#comment-1473 Standing up for one's right to privacy doesn't equate either having something to hide or being afraid of harm. If there is stuff that I do inside my own 4 walls that I don't feel the need to share with others -- and that includes what I do while I'm online (or at least the illusion of it there) -- then it's my own damn business. Then again, I live in a nation that happily allowed the government to turn this place into a no-holds-barred spy on your citizens state, so I guess I probably shouldn't be exercised about this. But then, if nobody ever got exercised about anything, we wouldn't have human rights, either. TL;DR version: I agree. Standing up for one’s right to privacy doesn’t equate either having something to hide or being afraid of harm. If there is stuff that I do inside my own 4 walls that I don’t feel the need to share with others — and that includes what I do while I’m online (or at least the illusion of it there) — then it’s my own damn business.

Then again, I live in a nation that happily allowed the government to turn this place into a no-holds-barred spy on your citizens state, so I guess I probably shouldn’t be exercised about this.

But then, if nobody ever got exercised about anything, we wouldn’t have human rights, either.

TL;DR version: I agree.

]]> By: Petter http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434&cpage=1#comment-1471 Petter Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:23:16 +0000 http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434#comment-1471 Either that, or they looked at other games and their community sites and wanted to add something similar - without remembering that those other community sites come with a lot of stuff in the background that the users have control over... Either that, or they looked at other games and their community sites and wanted to add something similar – without remembering that those other community sites come with a lot of stuff in the background that the users have control over…

]]> By: Scarybooster http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434&cpage=1#comment-1464 Scarybooster Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:28:27 +0000 http://blog.dontfearthemutant.com/?p=1434#comment-1464 Seems like they saw what Raptr and Xfire were doing and wanted their hand in the cookie jar too, but looks like they shoved both hands in at same time. Seems like they saw what Raptr and Xfire were doing and wanted their hand in the cookie jar too, but looks like they shoved both hands in at same time.

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