EA denies spying on Battlefield 3 Origin users

[DJ aka GDR DJ]

EA denies spying on Battlefield 3 Origin users

 

 

EA has refuted claims from German gamers that download service Origin - required to play Battlefield 3 on PC - spies on users' computer activity and could potentially break the country's privacy laws.

German Origin users reacted in anger after images surfaced online appearing to show the service accessing external programs and data synced from mobile phones.

Additionally, the Spiegel newspaper printed a list of items from Origin's license agreement it reported could violate German privacy law.

Those items included the right for EA to access other EA products without notifying the user, plus the right for EA and unnamed "partners" to "gather, use, store and transmit technical and related information" on "IP addresses, usage data, software, equipment, software usage and existing hardware peripherals" according to the terms of use and for "marketing purposes".

German Battlefield 3 gamers have responded by returning shop-bought copies of the game and bombing Battlefield 3's Amazon.de user rating, reducing it to one of the worst on the site.

Unusually, German retailers Media Markt and Saturn took the step of refunding used editions of Battlefield 3, even after their PC

keys had been redeemed.

EA Germany has now updated Origin's terms of service in response to the furore and issued a statement denying its software was spyware.

"We have updated the End User License Agreement of Origin, in the interests of our players to create more clarity," EA Germany announced in a statement yesterday. "Origin is not spyware. Neither do we use nor install spyware on the PCs of users.

"We do not have access to information such as pictures, documents or personal data, which have nothing to do with the execution of the Origin program on the system of the player, neither will they be collected by us.

"EA takes the privacy of its users very seriously. We have taken every precaution to protect the personal and anonymous user data collected."

Origin's license agreement matches "industry-standard privacy policies", EA stressed.

But "where necessary, we will of course work together with the relevant Government agencies to ensure that our policies are and remain legally compliant."

 

Source

 

DJ

 

Thanks to Schlumpfine for the tip

[Jefke]

ofcourse they do

 

but normally not on european customers (something in the License excluded european customers: yes I read the license when I heared about that spy shit a month ago or so ^^)

 

anyway I always close origin after playing bf3 (killing the task) and checking it in taskmanage: makes me feel 'safe' for what it worth.

[kami]

You can try and run http://technet.microsoft.com/en-en/sysinternals/bb896653 while running origin. It should tell what files/folders get accessed by origin.

 

Happy *in'

[OnionKnight]

Ya they are updating the EULA because of the backlash in germany. All download services do this, but to different extremes (even Steam which gets info on your computer specs and game preferences / activities for steam games). It is usually made to help make the service more userfriendly and some of them do fish some information from its customers (Origin hasn't done anything wrong, but just has a more invasive way of getting your information).

 

If anything, Origin is criminal because it sucks so hard with all its glitches, crashes and especially game activations (hard ball suckage. Went to friends house just to watch him play around trying to get BF3 to activate).

[Jefke]

You can try and run http://technet.micro...ernals/bb896653 while running origin. It should tell what files/folders get accessed by origin.

 

Happy *in'

 

I have done it and origin shows much intrest in photoshop folders and some a dll of my antivirus but he leaves the rest alone

 

Like somebody on the internet: let's run it in sandboxie => just to be sure ^^

[tdkxeon]

they are spying on users pc

but not their personal data

 

when you launch bf3 it opens a browser and loads a webpage

and you can launch your game from the browser

and you can launch game only from the browser

 

personally i think this is rediculous

 

so here is what they check

-- macaddress of wifi

--macaddress of lan or ethernet

--key used for activation

--user account

-- and most important - version of windows user is using

 

now i dont have any specifics on what they check when they want to know the version of windows but i am preety sure they are not checking users personal stuff

 

so they are not violating any laws

 

but i think that launching a game (that requires 21 gig of installation) still users a freaking browser is ridiculous

 

i will say engineers at DICE are not worth the engineer title

 

but on the other hand i will give them credit for this amazing game i love it

[Jefke]

they are spying on users pc

but not their personal data

 

Can you post prove of that plz, I like to be sure ^^

 

when you launch bf3 it opens a browser and loads a webpage

and you can launch your game from the browser

 

NOPE, you launch origin trough the browser which will launch the game (YES, I know ridiculous) => prove: try to launch game without origin on.

 

and you can launch game only from the browser

 

so here is what they check

-- macaddress of wifi

--macaddress of lan or ethernet

--key used for activation

--user account

-- and most important - version of windows user is using

Why the heck is origin then checking my photoshop and anti-virus files ^^ (anti-virus I can understand, but photoshop :s)

 

now i dont have any specifics on what they check when they want to know the version of windows but i am preety sure they are not checking users personal stuff

 

so they are not violating any laws

 

I like to see an rapport from an independent organisation, I don't like it when they mess (or it jus appears) with my privacy

 

but i think that launching a game (that requires 21 gig of installation) still users a freaking browser is ridiculous

 

i will say engineers at DICE are not worth the engineer title

=> Not DICE it fault (maybe battlelog, but with battlelog I can live) => the garbage called origin is EA stuff

 

but on the other hand i will give them credit for this amazing game i love it

yes/no: bf3 isn't a real bf is you ask me: maps are way to small (I mean playable area) and flags are to linear/clustered, but still a great game

 

btw nothing against you, you made just a great post for me to react on to express my opinion about this shit XD

 

!beer for you (or !coke if you don't drink)

 

 

+ maybe I overreact but I like to be sure (for so far you can be)

 

I know google/facebook/... are doing the same shit (that's why I don't use google chrome => one 'threat' less , like a zillion to go :s)

[tdkxeon]

btw nothing against you, you made just a great post for me to react on to express my opinion about this shit XD

 

!beer for you (or !coke if you don't drink)

 

all u did i point against what others posted

u got nothing urself

i monitor perf mon to make sure that game is not accessing other folders even files

and if u say "

NOPE, you launch origin trough the browser which will launch the game (YES, I know ridiculous)"

 

u certainly havent checked ur system while playing the game

 

 

i didnt find anything solid in what u posted,, i wil just not argue on ur post !!

 

you just want proof from others, go dig in to it and prove it yourself !

Edited November 2, 2011 by tdkxeon

[Jefke]

all u did i point against what others posted

u got nothing urself

i monitor perf mon to make sure that game is not accessing other folders even files

and if u say "

NOPE, you launch origin trough the browser which will launch the game (YES, I know ridiculous)"

 

u certainly havent checked ur system while playing the game

 

 

i didnt find anything solid in what u posted,, i wil just not argue on ur post !!

 

 

FIRST OF ALL I DID CHECK IT (I ran process monitor...) => it showed intrest in my photoshop files (not saying that they are doing something wrong I just saw that... ) + the game launches trough origin: try to boot the game when origin is off => origin will boot , you will have to sign in and THEN THE GAME STARTS!!

[tdkxeon]

FIRST OF ALL I DID CHECK IT (I ran process monitor...) and it was checking + the game launches trough origin: try to boot the game when origin is off => origin will boot , you will have to sign in and THEN THE GAME STARTS!!

and how does it prove that the game is accessing your personal folders ?

[Jefke]

and how does it prove that the game is accessing your personal folders ?

 

that doesn't prove that, but you can't prove that they aren't

 

and that kindof prove I want ^^ => I see that origin is checking some random stuff so I'm suspicious

 

nothing wrong with being protective when it's about your privacy, don't you think

 

anyway : it isn't worth an argue => those big companies will f*** you over anyway :s

[tdkxeon]

that doesn't prove that, but you can't prove that they aren't

 

and that kindof prove I want ^^ => I see that origin is checking some random stuff so I'm suspicious

 

nothing wrong with being protective when it's about your privancy, don't you think

 

anyway : it isn't worth an argue => those big companies will f*** you over anyway :s

 

ohhh i can prove that no doubt

just curious, wtf do u have in ur personal stuff ?

the law passed in 2011, if they access any of ur personal stuff without ur permission, u have a rite to sue them,

 

so... i really dont get the point since you dont have any proof, well i can record a video and put it on youtube, that will describe all of ur pc's activity when u start the game and when u connect to the server, but its not gonna help u since i know that origin doesnt go to users folder but hey if you store ur personal stuff in windows or program files folder thats ur fault

!

Edited November 2, 2011 by tdkxeon

[Jefke]

ohhh i can prove that no doubt

just curious, wtf do u have in ur personal stuff ?

the law passed in 2011, if they access any of ur personal stuff without ur permission, u have a rite to sue them,

 

so... i really dont get the point since you dont have any proof, well i can record a video and put it on youtube, that will describe all of ur pc's activity when u start the game and when u connect to the server, but its not gonna help u since i know that origin doesnt go to users folder but hey if you store ur personal stuff in windows or program files folder thats ur fault

!

 

never mentioned my personal files but I see some random programme checking stuff from other programmes

and the EULA of origin, Well then I get suspicious

and yes I know other programmes do that too, but that would be another discussion

 

Like I already said: probably I'm a bit overreacting but better overreacting then allowing companies to 'unlimited' search my pc I think

[RoosterCogburn]

R1911 just released a crack that allows legit owners of BF3 to launch the game without origin on.

 

link removed

[tdkxeon]

never mentioned my personal files but I see some random programme checking stuff from other programmes

and the EULA of origin, Well then I get suspicious

and yes I know other programmes do that too, but that would be another discussion

 

Like I already said: probably I'm a bit overreacting but better overreacting then allowing companies to 'unlimited' search my pc I think

well

now since ur forcing on that personal data stuff too much

 

i will dig in to it tomorrow

and if i find anything that they are not supposed to do imma sue them

 

for that i will need to install linux, and then windows 7 on virtual machine and then ..........

 

its gonna take a while but i wil come back with solid results !!