Battlefield 2142 to include spyware?

[notsosilentbob]

I was pretty skeptical at first, since it's easy to discredit a company on unreleased software. The more I look into it though, the more it seems true. Trying to push in-game advertising to greater heights, EA is looking to force invasive spyware onto your system should you decide to install Battlefield 2142. While unconfirmed, and with no official statement from EA as of yet, it has been circulating that EA plans to include some form of monitoring utility that will watch your browsing and computing habits even while you aren't playing the game. Needless to say, many are outraged.

I'd be outraged even if this occurred only while the game was running, let alone 24/7. Every once in a while, a company tries to push the limit as to what a user will take. It wasn't too long ago that Sony hit a huge fiasco when bundled spyware intended to prevent “unauthorized copying” was rendering people's machines useless. Is such an event in EA's future? When you throw down £35 for a game, you expect to get exactly that, and nothing more. Especially not this. I hope to hear some official word from EA to find it if this can be substantiated in full. I hope this is not true, as it would be very disappointing to miss out on a game just because a company wanted to play big brother.

[zaammk]

Adware, maybe. But spyware is illigal. Spyware is stuff like key loggers etc. I very much doubt they'll be putting spyware along with the game.

Do you have any source?

[Detomah]

Originally Posted by zaammk

Do you have any source??

Try reading PC Zone!

[Harv]

Originally Posted by zaammk

Do you have any sauce?

HP, Daddies or Hienz Ketchup ?


Anything else is just copies

[zaammk]

This ain't 4chan Harv.

[Seth]

Originally Posted by zaammk

Adware, maybe. But spyware is illigal. Spyware is stuff like key loggers etc. I very much doubt they'll be putting spyware along with the game.

Do you have any source?

I suppose then, by that definition, your term of "spyware" would encompass perfectly legitimate remote monitoring programs that can be used in business to ensure nobody misuses IT facilities etc.

It's not illegal to make, distribute or install spyware applications - unless such action is done without the authorisation of the user or maliciously, like a Trojan horse would do with a dodgy install of SubSeven for instance.

It would more likely just be adware, but even that is wholly unacceptable from any games distributor - EA could simply include ad updates in the patches that the game will undoubtedly recieve through its lifetime. The only reason they're doing this is to get more advertising revenue from the companies who're advertising ingame. Corporate *******s.

[notsosilentbob]

Taken off www.computerandvideogames.com/

http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=147787

Beware Battlefield 2142 spyware
Wednesday 18-Oct-2006 12:38 PM Ad-tracking software casts shadow over the release of latest Battlefield title. UPDATE: EA responds

++ UPDATE ++

Since posting the news article below, we've recieved official comment from EA clarifying what the ad-tracking software included in Battlefield 2142 actually does and doesn't do. Here goes...

The advertising program in Battlefield 2142 does not access any files which are not directly related to the game. It does not capture personal data such as cookies or account login detail, or surfing history.
BF 2142 delivers ads by region. The advertising system uses a player's IP address to determine the region of the player, assisting to serve the appropriate ads by region and language. For instance, a player in Paris might be presented with ads in French. The information collected will not be repurposed for other uses.
Battlefield 2142 also tracks "impression data" related to in-game advertisements: location of a billboard in the game, brand advertised, duration of advertisement impression, etc. This information is used to help advertisers qualify the reach of a given advertisement.

++ UPDATE ENDS ++

A slip of paper contained within the Battlefield 2142 retail box reveals that the game "may incorporate" software (i.e. spyware) that "may" record your IP address and "other anonymous information" - or 'Advertising Data' - when playing online.

Unsurprisingly, it's something that's got PC gamers up in arms with cries of 'boycott the game!' heard echoing across the internet, but should you really be worried?

Battlefield 2142 features in-game advertising and, according to the slip, the data collected is "temporarily" used by in-game advertising company IGA Worldwide to "enable the presentation and measurement of in-game advertisements and other in-game objects which are uploaded temporarily to your personal computer or game console and changed during online game play."

It continues: the software doesn't collect any "personal identifiable information about you", and that EA won't provide IGA with "any of your personally identifiable information".

Despite the statement that the software doesn't suck up personal identifiable information, it's caused enough concern for a Digital Illusions employee to move to calm fears. "Data will only be gathered from in game. Web browsing and other profiling data is not being gathered... The purpose of the gathering is to determine if an ad is viewed by players," the employee posted in the forums of fansite Total Battlefield 2142.

Hell, that's not so sinister, is it. Is it? Well, it sounds innocuous enough but it depends on your views on spyware - let us know your thoughts in the comments field below.

[stejefferies]

WoW hit a similar thing with one of thier updates... meant to protect users, it just spies on websites. cant remember where i read it though :/