Spyware: It's in the Game

**Rincewind** · 10-16-2006, 10:19 PM

This just in?

Apparently EA and Dice will 'spy' on you if you play BF2142:

http://digg.com/gaming_news/BattleFi...yware_included

http://www.totalbf2142.com/forums/sh...hlight=spyware

Wow. Sounds like a great deal! :P

Trooper · 10-16-2006, 10:23 PM

so it would be a ROOT kit? kind of sounds illegal and is it removable

Snail88 · 10-16-2006, 10:26 PM

eh...you knew there were gonna be ads in the game...oh well...it was gonna happen sooner or later.

perry · 10-16-2006, 10:33 PM

http://www.totalbf2142.com/forums/sh...44&postcount=3

**Clodhopper** · 10-17-2006, 12:09 AM

Interesting, I hope it won't effect their support of the game. BF2 sort-of turned into a farce without the ads, I'm a bit fearful what may come if they can depend more on ad revenue than the actual consumer.

Sigh, damnit, I just want a game I can play, put all your gilette and ford ads you want... just keep improving the game if it needs it.

Lorian · 10-17-2006, 02:19 AM

Just block it in your hosts files, problem solved

**Apophis** · 10-17-2006, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lorian

Just block it in your hosts files, problem solved

You can't actually "block" anything with your hosts file. You can misdirect a DNS query and provide a user-defined static result back to the application, but that's about it.

Their application can quite easily circumvent this trick by pointing to a load balanced IP address and/or using their own DNS server to do their recursive lookups for the ad servers.

**Wyzcrak** · 10-17-2006, 08:40 AM

http://www.totalbf2142.com/forums/sh...6802#post66802

I don't know anything more about that post, or its author, than is determinable by viewing it.

Bommando · 10-17-2006, 09:10 AM

From here:

Quote:

Originally Posted by [DICE]CKMC

I will add that if any of you do receive negative solicitation related to anything Battlefield please let me know.

What bothers me about this quote is why would he even post that if personally identifiable information wasn't being collected? Maybe he's just covering all bases, but I don't want my gaming tracked like this. Anonymous data I might be OK with, but if they relate it to my EA account, then no thanks.

Credit card companies track your purchase habits, but they reward you with loyalty bonuses, frequent flyer miles and points. EA is not giving me anything for providing them with advertising statistics. They don't lower the price of the game, they don't give me bonus points for viewing ads. I just get to consider myself lucky enough to contribute to their coffers even more than I already am. If I'm going to divulge any of my personal habits, I want to be compensated for it and have the exact details of the collected data available to me if I ask.

Don't get me wrong. I believe BF2 was an amazing investment for enjoyment time vs. money spent, but when my already limited privacy is at stake with little to mitigate it, then I'm understandably unenthused.

Telorn · 10-17-2006, 10:12 AM

After reading up on this I'm not so concerned about it. In-game ads suck, especially in a future-isitic theme where just about all adds would be out of place (some ads could have actually added realism to BF2).

I understand the need to collect data on how often an ad is viewed...that's how one gets paid. But they don't need to be including who viewed. Main reason I can think that they'd link our accounts to it is in the future, the ads may be user specific. Say you look at sport ads often, but never at bathroom ads. The ad system would load more sport ads for you and stop showing bathroom ads.

This won't stop me from buying the game. But, the bugs currently present in the BETA will and until they take care of some of the major game-interferring bugs I've come across I won't buy it.

Telorn · 10-17-2006, 10:41 AM

I found this quote from EA kind of funny. It's on Gamespot's review of the game.

Ironically, EA says that if you don't want your data shared with its advertising partner then "do not install or play the software on any platform that is used to connect to the Internet."

Who the hell would play this game NOT to play it on a computer that is connected to the internet? EA should have been smart and polite to its consumers and let the consumer decide if they want to send EA the statistics. If not, EA will still get money from the consumer when they view an ad...they just won't be able to show you the type of ads you view the most more often. Big deal.

Maus · 10-17-2006, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Telorn

they just won't be able to show you the type of ads you view the most more often. Big deal.

They make more money from targeted ads, since the recipient of a targeted ad is more likely to buy the product.

**WhiskeySix** · 10-17-2006, 12:18 PM

Am I the only one who doesn't care about this? Advertisers pay based on their ad's exposure... on the radio/TV neilson ratings determine how many people see/hear and ad and thus how much the Station can charge for the ad.

It's the exact same deal here... If I'm a company that's bought an advert in a game, I need to know that the ad is being seen... not that it's "probably being seen" or "in a good spot on the map, trust us". It makes complete sense that EA needs to know how many cross-hairs linger on an in-game billboard.

You may argue that this is the top of a slippery slope, and that's fine - but this is harmless IMO.... It's not like we have to enter a credit-card number to create a BFx soldier name. Take off the tin-foil hats guys.

Maus · 10-17-2006, 12:22 PM

No, I'm with you WhiskySix. I see ads when I watch TV, read the newspaper, poke around the internet, go shopping, see a movie, walk down the street . . .

Doesn't seem like such a big deal, really. It's not anything new. And if it makes ads more effective, then I'm down with that too. Better than being bombarded with ads for crap I don't give a damn about.

Bommando · 10-17-2006, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiskeySix

You may argue that this is the top of a slippery slope, and that's fine - but this is harmless IMO.... It's not like we have to enter a credit-card number to create a BFx soldier name. Take off the tin-foil hats guys.

It's not paranoia. I already know everything I do online is being entered into a database somewhere. Some anonymous, some not. For me, it's more about the fact that I resent my activities being recorded and used in a possibly personally identifiable fashion (I have made credit card purchases with my GameSpy ID) without offering me anything in return.

If the game were cheaper, more free content was provided or this extra revenue was at least in a small way returned to me, the customer, then I wouldn't mind.

The way I see it, they're adding extra network traffic and selling my interests to the highest bidder with no tangible benefit to me. If they were to pass on some kind of incentive for me to appreciate this 'feature' then I would likely change my mind.

10-16-2006, 10:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
Rincewind Join Date: May 2005 Location: Casting useless spells in Oklahoma. Age: 27 Posts: 2,773	Spyware: It's in the Game This just in? Apparently EA and Dice will 'spy' on you if you play BF2142: http://digg.com/gaming_news/BattleFi...yware_included http://www.totalbf2142.com/forums/sh...hlight=spyware Wow. Sounds like a great deal! :P __________________ ~~ Veritas simplex oratio est ~~ No matter how far a wizard goes, he will always come back for his hat. --T. Pratchett <---- You know you're getting old when you rely on your forum meta-data to remind you how old you are. Required Reading for all TG sandboxers

10-16-2006, 10:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
Trooper Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In my wifes house......if she says i can Age: 25 Posts: 8,625	Re: Spyware: It's in the Game so it would be a ROOT kit? kind of sounds illegal and is it removable __________________ that sounds like a good idea trooper. -Vulcan

10-16-2006, 10:33 PM	#4 (permalink)
perry Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 4,494	Re: Spyware: It's in the Game http://www.totalbf2142.com/forums/sh...44&postcount=3 __________________ Battlefield Admin(BF2 Rules) (BF2142 Rules) [volun2][medic][defense3][eng2][support] [sg-c1][gchq-c1][tog-c1][ma-c1][taw-c1][tg-c2] Support TG \| Write for TacticalWiki \| BF2 Sig. Generator \| TS Help

10-17-2006, 12:09 AM	#5 (permalink)
Clodhopper Join Date: May 2006 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Age: 25 Posts: 1,370	Re: Spyware: It's in the Game Interesting, I hope it won't effect their support of the game. BF2 sort-of turned into a farce without the ads, I'm a bit fearful what may come if they can depend more on ad revenue than the actual consumer. Sigh, damnit, I just want a game I can play, put all your gilette and ford ads you want... just keep improving the game if it needs it. __________________ \|TG\|Clodhopper - Intelligence is the key, but I'm locked out! "Dude, everytime I see your avatar, I get hungry!" - Leejo \|\| TG on the 360! \|\| Tactical Gamer Primer \|\| Want to be \|TG\|? \|\|

10-17-2006, 02:19 AM	#6 (permalink)
Lorian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: United Kingdom Age: 18 Posts: 2,036	Re: Spyware: It's in the Game Just block it in your hosts files, problem solved __________________ \|TG-E17th\|Lorian Member since 18th February 2006 Supporting member since 4th August 2006 PGP public key Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Memory: 2x 1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 RAM Video Card: XFX NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XT 256MB Monitor: 17" Dell CRT and 15" generic LCD Sound Card: Creative X-Fi Xtrememusic and Creative Sound Blaster Live! (no Linux X-Fi drivers yet)

10-17-2006, 08:40 AM	#8 (permalink)
Wyzcrak Join Date: May 2003 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 14,139	Re: Spyware: It's in the Game http://www.totalbf2142.com/forums/sh...6802#post66802 I don't know anything more about that post, or its author, than is determinable by viewing it. __________________ Steam Community? Add me. \| Join #tacticalgamer \| Search Results Legend \| New Posts Forum Filter \| Postbox Toggle \| Live Thread Review \| One Line Results \| Free Remote, Encrypted Backup Darkilla: In short, NS is pretty much really fast chess. With guns. Apophis: I haven't seen anyone say that SM's are better than non-SMs. Nordbomber: This is THE first server I've seen where either side can comeback from out of seemingly nowhere with the right teamwork. en4rcment: I have NEVER experienced the type of gameplay that I have found here. Nightly I am amazed at the personalities and gaming talent. Root: Welcome to TG. Feel free to punctuate your sentences correctly. Monkerz: Its gonna take all my skills to beat those boys off in the future.

10-17-2006, 10:12 AM	#10 (permalink)
Telorn Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Georgia Age: 27 Posts: 2,187	Re: Spyware: It's in the Game After reading up on this I'm not so concerned about it. In-game ads suck, especially in a future-isitic theme where just about all adds would be out of place (some ads could have actually added realism to BF2). I understand the need to collect data on how often an ad is viewed...that's how one gets paid. But they don't need to be including who viewed. Main reason I can think that they'd link our accounts to it is in the future, the ads may be user specific. Say you look at sport ads often, but never at bathroom ads. The ad system would load more sport ads for you and stop showing bathroom ads. This won't stop me from buying the game. But, the bugs currently present in the BETA will and until they take care of some of the major game-interferring bugs I've come across I won't buy it. __________________ Telorn

10-17-2006, 10:41 AM	#11 (permalink)
Telorn Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Georgia Age: 27 Posts: 2,187	Re: Spyware: It's in the Game I found this quote from EA kind of funny. It's on Gamespot's review of the game. Ironically, EA says that if you don't want your data shared with its advertising partner then "do not install or play the software on any platform that is used to connect to the Internet." Who the hell would play this game NOT to play it on a computer that is connected to the internet? EA should have been smart and polite to its consumers and let the consumer decide if they want to send EA the statistics. If not, EA will still get money from the consumer when they view an ad...they just won't be able to show you the type of ads you view the most more often. Big deal. __________________ Telorn

10-17-2006, 12:18 PM	#13 (permalink)
WhiskeySix Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Gillette Stadium, Section 309, Row 12, Seat 24 Age: 33 Posts: 8,252	Re: Spyware: It's in the Game Am I the only one who doesn't care about this? Advertisers pay based on their ad's exposure... on the radio/TV neilson ratings determine how many people see/hear and ad and thus how much the Station can charge for the ad. It's the exact same deal here... If I'm a company that's bought an advert in a game, I need to know that the ad is being seen... not that it's "probably being seen" or "in a good spot on the map, trust us". It makes complete sense that EA needs to know how many cross-hairs linger on an in-game billboard. You may argue that this is the top of a slippery slope, and that's fine - but this is harmless IMO.... It's not like we have to enter a credit-card number to create a BFx soldier name. Take off the tin-foil hats guys. __________________ *PoE2 Version 2.5 Overview \| Get started with PoE2 (for free!)*

10-17-2006, 12:22 PM	#14 (permalink)
Maus Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 326	Re: Spyware: It's in the Game No, I'm with you WhiskySix. I see ads when I watch TV, read the newspaper, poke around the internet, go shopping, see a movie, walk down the street . . . Doesn't seem like such a big deal, really. It's not anything new. And if it makes ads more effective, then I'm down with that too. Better than being bombarded with ads for crap I don't give a damn about. __________________ 2142: \|TG-Irr\| Silverfish BF2: \|TG-Irr\| Maus

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