Blizzard to remove the veil of anonymity
By
Adeon Hawkwood,
Posted on: 2010-07-06 10:48 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
Quote:
It's not a question that some do, but rather that some do not.
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Originally Posted by Chad Gulzow-Man
QR: Pfffft, who would want to use their real name on an internet forum? That's just dumb... ... >_>
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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)
Quote:
How often do game companies follow their own rules? Especially those with millions of players in a single game?
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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. |
Friends don't let friends buy an ncsoft controlled project.
Quote:
*points to his username* It was a joke. |
Originally Posted by KaliMagdalene
It's not a question that some do, but rather that some do not.
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In all seriousness, I can understand why people wouldn't want their identities to be known on the internet, even if they never break any rules at all. And the reasons that Blizzard seems to be giving for why they're doing this--"It's so players can develop more meaningful connections!--are horsehockey. A good third of my CoH friends talk regularly outside of the game, and we've all shared at least our first names and in many cases our last, but that was all due to our own choices.
I don't mind using my real name online, even though I've received my share of cyber-bullying in the past, but I'm also not a terribly well-known person on these forums or any other. I can understand why one of the more prolific CoH personalities like Snow Globe, Golden Girl or BeefCake might not want people knowing any of their personal information; despite the fact that they're all awesome people and generally respected around these parts, they've each attracted some troll attacks now and then.
Main Hero: Chad Gulzow-Man (Victory) 50, 1396 Badges
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Originally Posted by Nethergoat
it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!
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Thanks for this, I do try to keep anything and everything about me a secret as possible on the interwebs. There was one hit that did find me when I search, with old and false info with my name still.|
Originally Posted by Gaderath
www.pipl.com was linked on the WoW boards. Scary stuff. It has my new cell phone number who very few people have, as well as my entire family, and tons of other scary info, all from just my first and last name. Satellite photos of me working in backyard last summer. I'm freaked.
EDIT: Lordy. I hadn't seen you can search by screen name too. Thankfully my screen name is a little more unique, and none of the stuff that did actually connect with me was interesting at least. |
Also doing a google search turned up that there was a sex offender with the same name as me...not cool.
Heh, I was thinking about STO and Champions Online.
Somehow Cryptic over there manages to get full Facebook and Twitter integration into their games, yet don't have to reveal their customer's personal info to do it.
-np
I see myself as witty, urbane, highly talented, hugely successful with a keen sense of style. Plus of course my own special brand of modesty.
Virtue: Automatic Lenin | The Pink Guy | Superpowered | Guardia | Guardia Prime | Ultrapowered
Quote:
Let us all make note of a moment when Cryptic while running Champions made a smarter move than Blizzard.|
Originally Posted by NinjaPirate
Heh, I was thinking about STO and Champions Online.
Somehow Cryptic over there manages to get full Facebook and Twitter integration into their games, yet don't have to reveal their customer's personal info to do it. -np |
It was noticed on 07/07/10 6:50 PM Pacific
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So... what you're saying is that it would be sensible if the degree of openness in a community dictated its general response to a wholesale violation of its privacy, but since those open communities are the ones who are saying they do not like it...|
Originally Posted by Durakken
Missing the point...
Open communities saying no. Closed communities would likely flip out even more. It doesn't matter that the open community's openness is only at a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10 and the closed is a 1 and the RealID nonsense would be an 8... The open communities that are around are saying no across the board... In other words... The people most likely to support you are saying you are an idiot. More than likely you are an idiot. We, CoH, WoW, STO, are the most likely to support Blizzard, and are saying Blizzard is an idiot. more than likely Blizzard is an idiot. |
Still a quite suspect argument, I think.
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.
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Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay
Let us all make note of a moment when Cryptic while running Champions made a smarter move than Blizzard.
It was noticed on 07/07/10 6:50 PM Pacific |
And I LoL'd.
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I totally got the joke! I just wasn't sure if the joke was poking fun at people who don't want to or was just self-deprecating, sorry.|
Originally Posted by Chad Gulzow-Man
*points to his username* It was a joke.
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Quote:
| In all seriousness, I can understand why people wouldn't want their identities to be known on the internet, even if they never break any rules at all. And the reasons that Blizzard seems to be giving for why they're doing this--"It's so players can develop more meaningful connections!--are horsehockey. A good third of my CoH friends talk regularly outside of the game, and we've all shared at least our first names and in many cases our last, but that was all due to our own choices. |
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| I don't mind using my real name online, even though I've received my share of cyber-bullying in the past, but I'm also not a terribly well-known person on these forums or any other. I can understand why one of the more prolific CoH personalities like Snow Globe, Golden Girl or BeefCake might not want people knowing any of their personal information; despite the fact that they're all awesome people and generally respected around these parts, they've each attracted some troll attacks now and then. |
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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Hm, I'd like to say thanks for this link as well.|
Originally Posted by Gaderath
www.pipl.com was linked on the WoW boards. Scary stuff. It has my new cell phone number who very few people have, as well as my entire family, and tons of other scary info, all from just my first and last name. Satellite photos of me working in backyard last summer. I'm freaked.
EDIT: Lordy. I hadn't seen you can search by screen name too. Thankfully my screen name is a little more unique, and none of the stuff that did actually connect with me was interesting at least. |
Only popped up once with my name and one hit on my old inactive ebay account name. Good to see my efforts to remain rather anon have been somewhat fruitful.
Head of TRICK, the all Trick Arrow and Traps SG
Part of the Repeat Offenders
Still waiting for his Official BackAlleyBrawler No-Prize
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+++win
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Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay
Let us all make note of a moment when Cryptic while running Champions made a smarter move than Blizzard.
It was noticed on 07/07/10 6:50 PM Pacific |
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)
The biggest mistake Blizzard is making here is thinking that Facebook is a good model for their social network, when the reality is that people use Facebook for very different reasons than they'd use Real ID. Facebook is (superficially, at least) about socialisation whereas Blizzard multiplayer titles are about competition. That's a very different mindset when thinking about how people interact.
And of course, Real ID is coming to Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3, plus I won't be surprised when it is rolled out to all Activision online titles. This is Blizzard Activision trying to build their own gaming community hub ala Xbox Live. Unfortunately, they've fallen down at the first hurdle.
However... with Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 on the way, there may be enough inertia to carry it through and at least have it operational.
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Heck, You got the name and phone number, why stop there? |
Originally Posted by CactusBrawler
No one needs to 'get you' they can however make your life a complete misery, in full anonymity, without having to get their fat lazy gamer **** out of their chair.
Anonymous phone calls constantly? |
You know those stealth "free ringtone blah blah" ads... where the fine print signs you up for a $9.99/month "service" charged directly to the phone bill?
Sign em up!
It's easy. Last I heard, there was a bot that'd do it for you... hit something like 30-40 of these services in 5 minutes.
Sure, they can dispute the charges on the next bill, but the phone company says you gotta dispute it with EACH of the separate service companies... not them. And you can bet those services have STELLAR customer support availability... and that they probably already charged for the NEXT month by the time you get through... and even if they're gonna be refunded, your phone company will be charging you fees if you don't pay the current bill in full....
Yeah. Traceable crank calls... too much work.
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"The South Korean market must make a ton of profits for Blizzard and unlike Google they don't have revenue coming in from other sources."|
Originally Posted by Unknown_User
Don't know if this was already posted, but some speculate that this is the reason why Blizzard is doing away with forum anonymity.
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that makes more sense than all of Blizzard's BS justifications combined.
It's a whackadoodle policy, their justifications are hooey so it's gotta be a money grab.
Dunno if that's the real money grab, but I'll bet my house there is one in the woodpile somewhere.
If this rumor is true I hope the Koreans treat Blizzard with the same hospitality and respect the Chinese treated Google when they sold out their customers and principles for a few bucks*.
*okay, more than a few...but Google and Blizzard need more money like The Bronx needs more inf.
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
Quote:
...are you sure you're not actually a supervillain in disguise?|
Originally Posted by Chase_Arcanum
Heck, You got the name and phone number, why stop there?
You know those stealth "free ringtone blah blah" ads... where the fine print signs you up for a $9.99/month "service" charged directly to the phone bill? Sign em up! It's easy. Last I heard, there was a bot that'd do it for you... hit something like 30-40 of these services in 5 minutes. Sure, they can dispute the charges on the next bill, but the phone company says you gotta dispute it with EACH of the separate service companies... not them. And you can bet those services have STELLAR customer support availability... and that they probably already charged for the NEXT month by the time you get through... and even if they're gonna be refunded, your phone company will be charging you fees if you don't pay the current bill in full.... Yeah. Traceable crank calls... too much work. |
Just saying.
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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holy cow, I can't believe I didn't think of the gold farmers.|
Originally Posted by NinjaPirate
Doesn't have to be sociopathic.
There's an entire multimillion dollar industry dedicated to harvesting info on MMO players to either try and sell them stuff or hack their accounts. They are as tenacious as any sociopath and have a LOT of resources behind their efforts. And even if they don't get you, anyone with your name they can find an e-mail for is going to get flooded with advertisements that are as likely to be viruses in disguise. |
posting on the WoW forums after this change would be like an engraved invitation to every shady gold farmer on the internet to ad-bomb your life into rubble.
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
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Wow...great find, Kali.|
Originally Posted by KaliMagdalene
I know that someone said that the CM was not really tracked down, but here's another example. Not a CM, just another user.
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Also of note: the thread on the Blizzard forums where the Mod posted his name has been closed and deleted on the grounds that (get this) you're not allowed to post a person's personal information on the forums.
That's way more ironic than RAAAYYYY-ay-AIN on your wedding day.
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.
Quote:
And....win!
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Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay
Let us all make note of a moment when Cryptic while running Champions made a smarter move than Blizzard.
It was noticed on 07/07/10 6:50 PM Pacific |
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.
Quote:
Jack Thomson.|
Originally Posted by Chad Gulzow-Man
QR: Pfffft, who would want to use their real name on an internet forum? That's just dumb... ... >_>
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Then he would fail at suing all the people who used bad words at him and got disbarred.
That really should speak for itself.
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 posting this on their forums is considered "Spamming or trolling" and nets you a 3 day ban... *rolls eyes*
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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. |
By the catapillars hooka you WILL smile!
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Link or I don't believe you
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Originally Posted by Soul Train
The forum thread has now cracked 1100 pages.
Most of the posts are negative. Also, while the original reason given was to 'take away the pro-troll environment', this has been exposed as a smokescreen. The real reason? Apparently Vivendi has inked a deal with Facebook to "cross-pollinate" Battle.net with FB, supposedly to attract new subscribers by exposing player accomplishments and armory drops. So this is essentially a money grab. Players have been reduced to marketing data, to be sold to whoever wants to pay. I can't live with that, so I cancelled my WoW account this morning. Cata may as well be vaporware for me unless they rethink this decision. Hey everyone... did you miss me? |
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The backlash that is going on over this is hilarious and extremely scary. Will Blizzard finally topple? Will they go back on their realID?|
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. |
I checked the www.pipl.com and its kinda funny that you could find more information about me by searching legendaryjman then you can by searching my real name.
I would never, ever, ever use their game service with this requirement.
Part of it is principle. They have no need to expose my personal information, and so if they insist on doing so, I refuse to provide them with it.
Part of it is common sense. I have no interest in aligning my own real name with my posts on public forums, not because I am afraid that nerdragers who I don't know in real life will seek me out and harm me, but because people who I do know (but who are not my friends) might somehow use information I post against me. See stories about Facebook users who got themselves fired from their jobs because of things they posted on Facebook, seen by coworkers and/or bosses, or who got themselves convicted of crimes because their Facebook postings ruined any hope of jury sympathy they had.
Privacy is about reducing ways that people can connect the dots. Look at the reports about problems with data retention by companies like Google, who claimed to anonymize search info by blotting out parts of IP addresses. But it turned out that this wasn't very anonymizing at all, because you could piece together who someone was by their very searches combined with a fragment of their IP address.
So no way would I give these people my real name, and nor would I let any kids do so either.
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
I am glad the Wall Street Journal, and other major media outlets are picking up the story. It is a seriously bad precedent for the gaming industry if this goes through.
Edit: Yeah I am not interested in Susan calling me about gold during dinner time.
QR: Pfffft, who would want to use their real name on an internet forum? That's just dumb... ... >_>
Main Hero: Chad Gulzow-Man (Victory) 50, 1396 Badges
Main Villain: Evil Gulzow-Man (Victory) 50, 1193 Badges
Mission Architect arcs: Doctor Brainstorm's An Experiment Gone Awry, Arc ID 2093