Big Brother Strikes Back

[pitlord]

Quote from Patch Message - July 10th, 2003 :

You will soon notice a new dialogue box appear when you log in (it appears after logging in three times to prevent spam for new players). We are asking you to let us gather a bit of information about your computer that will help us build the future of EverQuest.

The important thing here is that you can say no and we won't gather any information.

If you do accept, we'll gather CPU, RAM and video card information to help us evaluate and improve EverQuest. If you agree and then change your mind later, you can disable the feature under the Options tab (Alt-O) and then the General tab in game.

Wonder if this only means CPU, RAM and video card or is it just a method to get permission to snoop any 'information' they need to improve EQ and get rid of 3rd party program users?

[Catt]

Simple answer, SAY NO.

[Mr. Suspicious]

or is it just a method to get permission to snoop any 'information' they need to improve EQ and get rid of 3rd party program users?

Stuff like that only happens in real life.

[waldi]

i know there are tons of skeptics and paranoid folks on these boards, but i will actually place my opinion here to support Sony. I have it on very good authority that they are not collecting any information that may lead to ShowEQ or even things like Macroquest (sp?).

They know who is using Macroquest and they know it without having to resort to dialog boxes asking permission (ref: http://www.arxan.com/index.shtml ) There is technology that doesn't have to snoop your system, only EQ's allocated memory space. No judge is going to rule that "privacy rights" protect the running program's memory space, because that is the foundation behind many government regulated means of validating the security of all sorts of devices.

They want your permission to gather HW configuration info to see if they can bump the minimum System requirements.

What that should mean to you:

a) If you have top-end gear, you want them to know you have top-end gear so that they can up the requirements and give us better looking content.

b) If you don't have top-end gear, you want them to know you don't so that they have to consider you when they decide to up the minimum requirements.

If they were after ShowEQ and/or Macroquest, they would most definitely not ask permission first, don't you think?

-- waldi

[old_fart]

Originally posted by waldi
iThey know who is using Macroquest and they know it without having to resort to dialog boxes asking permission (ref: http://www.arxan.com/index.shtml ) There is technology that doesn't have to snoop your system, only EQ's allocated memory space.

SoE put memory checks inplace and we detoured them. Any other check that they might use can be detoured as well. Besides, if they know, why have I (and a few hundred others) not been banned?

[shnauka]

Getting a list of what given processes have access to your memory is rather simplistic..

It's a coupla calls to see whos attached to what..

Chances are, the ONLY reason we've not all been banned is simply becouse they havent decided to allocate any manhours to making the change, collecting the data, reporting the data, and banning based ON the data..

Dont think they 'can't' do this. They just 'haven't'.