Big Brother EA Spying on You?

[Thortok2000]

People just can't read legalese and get panicked over it. The non-personally identifiable information that EA collects includes technical and related information that identifies your computer (including the Internet Protocol Address) and operating system, as well as information about your Application usage (including but not limited to successful installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware.

• Internet Protocol Address

Your IP is pretty much public at all times to anything you ever connect to, any time, anywhere. As already said in this thread, only with your ISP's cooperation (as well as a timestamp) can your IP address actually find you. Without that it just gives a 'region' that you could be in that's normally the size of a city or part of one.

• Operating System

Most HTML websites can tell what operating system you have just from you visiting the page. This is not particularly private information either.

• Application Usage (Including installation or removal)

In this case I'm assuming Application refers to Origin itself. They want to know when you install it and if you remove it.

• Software & Software Usage

This is the part that is the only potential worry. I'm assuming it will be like Steam, where it detects other programs on your computer and other programs that are being run. However, the vagueness could lead to more invasive things. 'Software usage' could mean knowing what sites you visit in your web browser, what files you open in your media player, etc. It's pretty vague and open ended and should be clarified or I will probably not want to use Origin.

• Peripheral Hardware

Lots of software, including Steam, has long since done hardware surveys anyway. Again, nothing new. ~ Hardware and nowadays software surveys are helpful in analyzing issues and basically 'knowing what to code for.' PC's are not like consoles, insomuch that there is so much variety and therefore the games have to be that much more robust in order to not have bugs and be able to support the myriad types of computers out there. The only thing that concerns me is 'software usage.' I don't mind the computer knowing what programs I am running, it's a software survey and potentially usable as an anti-hacking method too. But data is where I cross the line; it has no need to know what files I have open, what those files contain, etc. So as an example, it can know I have 5 web browser windows open and that those are using X megabytes of RAM but knowing exactly what pages I'm on is too personal. That's spyware, even if the intent is simply for market research purposes and will not be shared with other parties.

[Vreki]

Re: Big Brother EA Spying on You?

Steam already knows your IP and what steam games you are playing. And you most likely bought those games with a credit card, so they also know who you are.

[RangerXML]

Re: Big Brother EA Spying on You?

EA is about to get their hind handed to them by Australia and Germany, both countries have laws against this kind of data collecting. At least Steam asks you.

[Mtrooper]

Re: Big Brother EA Spying on You?

This situation is being blown out of proportion by pretty much everyone. This has been done for years now and won't change because some fear-mongering magazine decides to run a sensationalist article on what amounts to a non-issue. Like Vreki said about a proxy, unless you do that and never use the internet, you leave so many electronic fingerprints that it is pretty hopeless. The article is blowing the situation out of proportion by stating that it can collect any and all data from your computer. It looks like what it can track are things that are entirely reasonable for a program to track- tracking the usage of Origin, what you bought/ downloaded/ installed through the service, and how often you used the software downloaded from Origin. And it happens to give your IP address which is already everywhere which helps the marketers understand the demographics of users.

[Vreki]

Re: Big Brother EA Spying on You?

Whoa, wait... Origin is REQUIRED to play BF3, even if it's retail, box version?? BTW updated EULA is no different than previous. Claiming that IP Address in "nonpersonally identifiable (or anonymous) information" is a LIE. Here, where I live we have strict privacy and monopoly law regulations. And this EULA breaks them.

All forums you visit knows your IP too. Unless you actually care enough to use a proxy, which surprisingly few of the casual paranoia does.
But only you ISP can tie your IP to your name and address, and they are not going to give out that info without a court order.

[ponton]

Whoa, wait... Origin is REQUIRED to play BF3, even if it's retail, box version?? BTW updated EULA is no different than previous. Claiming that IP Address in "nonpersonally identifiable (or anonymous) information" is a LIE. Here, where I live we have strict privacy and monopoly law regulations. And this EULA breaks them.

[thejeran]

Uninstalled

[Lt.Hanley]

Get the tinfoil hats ready.

[CptainCrunch]

5t3v0 posted up this article from escapistmagazine.com:

The internet is aflame with rage over the discovery that the user agreement for EA's Origin service allows it to collect and transmit any data it wants about your computer and what you're doing with it.

Our own sharp-eyed forum users [Dirty Hipsters in particular] pointed out a rather disturbing clause in the Terms of Service for EA's new Origin digital distribution platform. Here it is in its entirety:

2. Consent to Collection and Use of Data.

You agree that EA may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer (including the Internet Protocol Address), operating system, Application usage (including but not limited to successful installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online services. EA may also use this information combined with personal information for marketing purposes and to improve our products and services. We may also share that data with our third party service providers in a form that does not personally identify you. IF YOU DO NOT WANT EA TO COLLECT, USE, STORE, TRANSMIT OR DISPLAY THE DATA DESCRIBED IN THIS SECTION, PLEASE DO NOT INSTALL OR USE THE APPLICATION. This and all other data provided to EA and/or collected by EA in connection with your installation and use of this Application is collected, used, stored and transmitted in accordance with EA's Privacy Policy located at www.ea.com. To the extent that anything in this section conflicts with the terms of EA's Privacy Policy, the terms of the Privacy Policy shall control.

By installing Origin, in other words, you're agreeing to the TOS, and by agreeing to the TOS you're giving EA the green light to poke and prod around your computer, suck up information about your hardware, your software - and not just games, mind you, but everything - and what you do with it when you think nobody's looking. Want to opt out? You can't, except by not installing it at all, which of course means you don't get to play anything that requires Origin, including the long-anticipated Battlefield 3.

Origin isn't the only service that collects user data for various purposes, including marketing, but its TOS allow it to scan for an uncomfortably broad range of information. Valve, for instance, collects user information "to improve Valve's products and online sites, for internal marketing studies, or simply to collect demographic information about Valve's users," but it's limited to a far narrower range of data. And even though EA's data collection practices in all likelihood won't be any different than Valve's, the worrying point is that they could be.

Since this posting, BlueAngel7 posted up the changes from the ToS above:

Origin's EULA has been updated...

2.Consent to Collection and Use of Data.

EA knows that you care how information about you is collected, used and shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and sensibly. Information about our customers is an important part of our business, and EA would never sell your personally identifiable information to anyone, nor would it ever use spyware or install spyware on users’ machines. We and agents acting on our behalf do not share information that personally identifies you without your consent, except in rare instances where disclosure is required by law or to enforce EA’s legal rights.

In addition to information that you give EA directly, EA collects nonpersonally identifiable (or anonymous) information for purposes of improving our products and services, providing services to you, facilitating the provision of software updates, dynamically served content and product support as well as
communicating with you. The non-personally identifiable information that EA collects includes technical and related information that identifies your computer (including the Internet Protocol Address) and operating system, as well as information about your Application usage (including but not limited to successful installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware. As noted above, this information is gathered periodically for purposes such as improving our products and services, troubleshooting bugs, and otherwise enhancing your user experience. This and all other data provided to EA and/or collected by EA in connection with your installation and use of this Application is collected, used, stored and transmitted in accordance with EA’s Privacy Policy located at www.ea.com. To the extent that anything in this section conflicts or is inconsistent with the terms of EA’s Privacy Policy, the terms of the Privacy Policy
shall control.

So with these changes being made, are things worded better to protect your privacy or is this just a cover-up thing and EA is going to do whatever they want anyway? Will this change your mind about Battlefield 3 and Origin or is it full steam ahead? Is this the internet over-reacting or EA over-reaching? Is the O in Origin a sign of the all seeing eye?

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