Blizzard to remove the veil of anonymity
By
Adeon Hawkwood,
Posted on: 2010-07-06 10:48 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
As long as they don't retroactively make the information available, I see no problems here.
If they wipe the forums, or only display that information from posts and posters that post after a certain date, and everyone is made aware of the situation and agrees to the new conditions, it's a perfectly acceptable thing from a legal and moral standpoint.
Privacy is non-existent on the internet, and anonymity is too to anyone who knows what they're doing unless you're very careful about making sure you retain your anonymity. The only thing that removing the paper-thin veil of anonymity will do is to make people think twice about being a jerk and then do it anyway.
If I ever join Blizzard's community, the surprising revelation will be that my legal name is "Marcian T." Gender will be glitched. 
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That's not the only thing. It will also make some people refuse to participate in that environment. And it won't be the jerks.
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Originally Posted by NarfMann
The only thing that removing the paper-thin veil of anonymity will do is to make people think twice about being a jerk and then do it anyway.
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total kick to the gut
This is like having Ra's Al Ghul show up at your birthday party.
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Having just watched Burn Notice, I will be the enigmatic, "Chuck Finley"
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Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay
If I ever join Blizzard's community, the surprising revelation will be that my legal name is "Marcian T." Gender will be glitched.
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No great loss. If it were for this game, then yeah, I could see some problems. But for The Mighty Blizzard, there's enough of a pool of people to pull from that there would still be plenty of forum posters left after most leave. If 1% of the constructive people stay and 1% of the jerks stay, you'd end up with something much like the boards we have here, which is a good thing to aim for if you ask me.|
Originally Posted by SwellGuy
That's not the only thing. It will also make some people refuse to participate in that environment. And it won't be the jerks.
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And the constructive jerks, like me, will stay here no matter what, since we just don't care
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Then you'd be a former Major League pitcher who was abused by his wife.
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Originally Posted by Gaderath
Having just watched Burn Notice, I will be the enigmatic, "Chuck Finley"
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My Blogs on TGWTG.com
Angels of Wrath/Evilnighters/Legion of Catgirls
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Well I can tell you that some of the best contributers of the forums have already stated they will not be using the WoW forums once this goes live, this includes MVP posters,
I have never seen so many people in one thread agreeing to how much they hate this idea, yeah there are few that support it, but overall there are literally 1000s of posts against it (the main thread has well over 20,000 posts and most are negative).
For my part I'm in the very wary category I haven't cancelled yet, but yeah I'm not happy, and if they push this RealID thing much further I will definately quit, I would like the choice who gets to know my name.
It's rather sad too, as they have just announced some rather major and (in my opinion) intresting changes to how the talent trees will work and what base line abilities players will recieve (ie Ret Pallies will recieve Divine Storm at level 10).
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http://tv.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/10...-chuck-finley/
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Originally Posted by RaiderRich2001
Then you'd be a former Major League pitcher who was abused by his wife.
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I lock my door at home so that nobody will wake up my rottweiler accidentally. Those who wake him up by busting in deserve what they get.
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Originally Posted by SwellGuy
Do you lock your doors at home? Why? A determined thief will get in any way.
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...
New Webcomic -- Genocide Man
Life is funny. Death is funnier. Mass slaughter can be hilarious.
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I lock my door at home so I have time to take the safety off...|
Originally Posted by RemusShepherd
I lock my door at home so that nobody will wake up my rottweiler accidentally. Those who wake him up by busting in deserve what they get.
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As for those of you with WoW, a security risk has already been identified.
A Blizzard moderator gives out his real name to prove this isn't a big deal. The result? Hilarity!
http://wowriot.gameriot.com/blogs/Am...nction?gr_i_ni
Arc# 92382 -- "The S.P.I.D.E.R. and the Tyrant" -- Ninjas! Robots! Praetorians! It's totally epic! Play it now!
Arc # 316340 -- "Husk" -- Azuria loses something, a young woman harbors a dark secret, and the fate of the world is in your hands.
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Apparently some, if not all of that info proved to be incorrect...|
Originally Posted by Defenestrator
A Blizzard moderator gives out his real name to prove this isn't a big deal. The result? Hilarity!
http://wowriot.gameriot.com/blogs/Am...nction?gr_i_ni |
...with regards to the Moderator. I feel for the poor schlub that that info does point to though.
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This was a foul ball. The actual mod lives in SOUTHERN California, not Northern. |
Originally Posted by Defenestrator
A Blizzard moderator gives out his real name to prove this isn't a big deal. The result? Hilarity!
http://wowriot.gameriot.com/blogs/Am...nction?gr_i_ni |
Which meant some poor guy got roflpwned by a ton of people he didn't know, and had to change his phone # and take down his FB page.
Meanwhile the actual mod posts on his Twitter "They got the wrong guy."
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
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Which still proves a point about security. As well as jacktards attacking someone in RL, without even knowing if whatever info they have is correct or not.
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Originally Posted by Soul Train
This was a foul ball. The actual mod lives in SOUTHERN California, not Northern.
Which meant some poor guy got roflpwned by a ton of people he didn't know, and had to change his phone # and take down his FB page. Meanwhile the actual mod posts on his Twitter "They got the wrong guy." |
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Except you're more likely to get 100% of the jerks staying regardless of how many constructive people stay or go.
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Originally Posted by NarfMann
No great loss. If it were for this game, then yeah, I could see some problems. But for The Mighty Blizzard, there's enough of a pool of people to pull from that there would still be plenty of forum posters left after most leave. If 1% of the constructive people stay and 1% of the jerks stay, you'd end up with something much like the boards we have here, which is a good thing to aim for if you ask me.
And the constructive jerks, like me, will stay here no matter what, since we just don't care |
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As someone who's watched people get hounded over their gender and stalked in other games, I can see how this a really bad idea. Some people I know have checkered past, and like drawing as little attention to themselves as they can.|
Originally Posted by KaliMagdalene
What about safety? I've been internet stalked before. I know other women who have been. There was a post on the Borderhouse by a woman talking about how a guild member actually tracked her down to her dorm to confront her because his sexist comments to her got him banned from raids.
And yes, as I linked, there are employers who do not want to hire WoW players. |
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Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay
Why not? X is a variable, and you aren't sure what one likes most. It's almost gender neutral and the most useful. I love CoX.
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Originally Posted by KaliMagdalene
Uh, no, the WoW community is not responsible for Blizzard's boneheaded, customer-hostile decisions.
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Originally Posted by RaiderRich2001
You must be going to different WoW official forums than what I was going to when I played.
They're called "WoWtards" for a reason, Kali. |
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Originally Posted by NinjaPirate
I pointed out that it's astonishingly easy to bluff your way through situations like calling a bank teller or customer service rep to access an account, if you seem to have a ton of the account holder's personal info.
For a specific example, former governer Sarah Palin's personal e-mail account was hacked this way, the hackers just scrounged up enough 'personal info', via just normal Googling around, to bluff their way past Customer Service. Do people need to secure their info better, in general? Yes. However, that job isn't being made any easier by Blizzard forcibly requiring real names. The contention is that Blizzard is making things worse. Even the security aspect aside, folks should be able to just say they don't want their real names exposed, if nothing else for personal privacy. Global Handles would accomplish the anti-trolling effects without compromising the other stuff. -np |
Ultimately I'll wait and see if they actually go thru with it before I bother caring.(I see that poor mod being harressed to no end as something to show it's not a great idea.) I have a fairly common first name...Michael, which I even have listed here if someone checked my profile. My last name however only 1 other person in the US shares the same first last combo, and he's my cousin. (whom I never talk to but ironically have tons in common with based off his myspace page. We have different middle names atleast.)
I drop my full name from time to time, as people know who I am. I tend use the handle Lastjustice everywhere(which my last name kind of lame so I'd rather go by Lastjustice online or my alias Michael Ericson the character Lastjustice's real name which I considered legally changing my name to.), so if someone really wanted to figure it all out I'm sure they could. I just dont see this as a good idea being forced upon a player. If they want their info out there, it's up to them. I just don't see how this could ever be considered a good idea.
- Justice
Lastjustice- lvl 50 defender
Leader of Eternal Vigilance.
- Freedom
Lastjudgment - lvl 50 corruptor
Member of V.A.M.P.
Beware:NERDS ARE THE WORST FANS!!
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I hope he called the police... and a reporter.
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Originally Posted by Soul Train
This was a foul ball. The actual mod lives in SOUTHERN California, not Northern.
Which meant some poor guy got roflpwned by a ton of people he didn't know, and had to change his phone # and take down his FB page. Meanwhile the actual mod posts on his Twitter "They got the wrong guy." |
Weight training: Because you'll never hear someone lament "If only I were weaker, I could have saved them."
And that makes Blizzard's new policy better... how?
Comrade Smersh, KGB Special Section 8 50 Inv/Fire, Fire/Rad, BS/WP, SD/SS, AR/EM
Other 50s: Plant/Thorn, Bots/Traps, DB/SR, MA/Regen, Rad/Dark - All on Virtue.
-Don't just rebel, build a better world, comrade!
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You're ignoring much of this thread, then.|
Originally Posted by poptart_fairy
When I ask people how the forum RealID can result in the loss of life, account and home to complete strangers, I expect a little more than a shakey, half-unknown anecdote if I'm being frank here.
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| Nobody's said it's OK that it happens. People are saying it happens when you've been reckless, regardless of how little. Difference. |
So I'll give you a tutorial:
* Criminal decides to victimize someone
* Criminal victimizes that someone
* Poptart Fairy lectures victim that it's his or her fault because even though he doesn't have the facts his particular failure of imagination leads him to believe he can guess them.
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| Oh, and your posts are already signed to the left. Shrug. |
Elsegame: Champions Online: @BellaStrega ||| Battle.net: Ashleigh#1834 ||| Bioware Social Network: BellaStrega ||| EA Origin: Bella_Strega ||| Steam: BellaStrega ||| The first Guild Wars: Kali Magdalene ||| The Secret World: BelleStarr (Arcadia)
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WTF does accountability mean, though? You think having real names is going to provide a magical aura of ~*~accountability~*~ that will make people behave? You don't think that anyone will use this information to cause harm? I can tell you from years of Usenet that real names do not keep people from trolling. What keeps people from trolling is active enforcement of community rules.|
Originally Posted by poptart_fairy
I'm not looking at it as a matter of security though, simply one of accountability. Honestly, if someone is determined and/or sociopathic enough to get at your real world information then exchanging a forum avatar for a real name isn't going to deter them a great deal in the long run, I feel.
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You say that it's possible to track people down anyway, but you're failing to realize that adding real names to the equation removes a barrier to doing so. Yes, it is possible to track people down without their real name, but fewer people will do so.
You're cherrypicking your arguments to support your very shaky points.
Anyway, this decision is not about cleaning up the WoW community. This decision is about how Bobby Kotick (the worst man in gaming) wants to monetize WoW further. RealID and Facebook partnerships coming so close together? I mean, really?
Elsegame: Champions Online: @BellaStrega ||| Battle.net: Ashleigh#1834 ||| Bioware Social Network: BellaStrega ||| EA Origin: Bella_Strega ||| Steam: BellaStrega ||| The first Guild Wars: Kali Magdalene ||| The Secret World: BelleStarr (Arcadia)
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Their EULA/Terms of Service forbid players from revealing their login information, in whole or in part.|
Originally Posted by Friggin_Taser
I'm going to guess that they have the right to do it in the EULA.
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With the switch over to Battle.net accounts for login, your login is the email address connected to the account.
To connect to someone using RealID, you must give them the email address connected to the account.
Therefore, using RealID is a violation of the Terms of Service.
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Castle: Powers guy and EULA lawyer!
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Originally Posted by Castle
Their EULA/Terms of Service forbid players from revealing their login information, in whole or in part.
With the switch over to Battle.net accounts for login, your login is the email address connected to the account. To connect to someone using RealID, you must give them the email address connected to the account. Therefore, using RealID is a violation of the Terms of Service. |
Comrade Smersh, KGB Special Section 8 50 Inv/Fire, Fire/Rad, BS/WP, SD/SS, AR/EM
Other 50s: Plant/Thorn, Bots/Traps, DB/SR, MA/Regen, Rad/Dark - All on Virtue.
-Don't just rebel, build a better world, comrade!
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I'm not answering Venture because I learned 15 years ago on usenet that talking to Venture is a waste of time. I just want to say that this is nonsense.|
Originally Posted by Venture
Neither, really. In the long run, statistically, you'll still likely be orders of magnitude more likely to get hit by a drunk driver than to have someone mess with you because your real name was attached to a post on a WoW forum. Giving your credit card to a waiter will remain a bigger risk of identity theft.
I'm not going to go through this post-by-post because there's no point. People are just being hysterical. As others have noted millions of people have put their real names on their Facebook pages without incurring DOOOOOOOOOOM. The real truth is no one cares enough about you, whoever you are, for your name being revealed on the internet to matter. |
People have been stalked online. They've been stalked by abusive exes, or by angry young men looking to cause problems. I've been stalked online. I've been stalked on this forum. I've had an abusive ex try to track me down. This isn't hysteria.
People who have reason not to put their real names on Facebook pages either don't have Facebook pages or use assumed names (I don't have a Facebook page).
Venture talks about people like a see of statistics, and it's vanishingly unlike that any random individual person would care about any other person, so of course there's no reason to suspect that anyone would be googling your name or use your name to track you down because on average no one cares about you. But yet for some reason stalking still happens, women still get harassed, women still get murdered.
Venture's wrong. People aren't being hysterical. People have a right to be upset when a company they've invested time and money into decides to take some control out of their lives.
Elsegame: Champions Online: @BellaStrega ||| Battle.net: Ashleigh#1834 ||| Bioware Social Network: BellaStrega ||| EA Origin: Bella_Strega ||| Steam: BellaStrega ||| The first Guild Wars: Kali Magdalene ||| The Secret World: BelleStarr (Arcadia)
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I do use social networking sites, but I also have two online identities. My real name is used for some things that give me a good image. All gaming, however, is linked to my gamertag, which is my forum name here, my global here, and my forum name on most other gaming sites. With this change at WoW, I won't be using the forums there if I do get a full retail account. Not because I don't want to have my real life associated with gaming, or because I'm ashamed of it, but because gaming has a hugely negative stereotype and going into teaching, that stereotype can really screw me over.
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Originally Posted by Pouncer
STO asked its playerbase about linking with social networking sites and the players firmly replied "not interested".
I wonder if there's much overlap between MMO players and social networking site users. Most people I know do one or the other but not both. |
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Originally Posted by Back Alley Brawler
Did you just use "casual gamer" and "purpled-out warshade" in the same sentence?
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To shreds, you say?
In the Arena of Logic, I fight unarmed.