Comments on: Game players say Blizzard invades privacy

Publisher irks "World of Warcraft" players by peering into their computers to look for hacking software.

[pinion]

EULA follies

I actually read the EULA (call me crazy) and I do not see where it mentions any kind of this activity as permissible. It grants Blizzard the right to make connections to the "Game Client", but not to anything else. The "warden" spyware-like program sends information about every program open, not just those distributed by Blizzard or even those that pertain to the "Game Client" in any way.

Even if it was in the EULA, why would Blizzard check every program running when the warden could do it's job by restricting itself to only Blizzard files. Also, I would expect a big "We ARE checking your files and running programs for ...blah blah blah". Not, "We CAN check". Many EULA's give the "Licensor" open-ended rights that are left completely up to interpretation. There are no explicit claims to ownership, instead it's: "The game is ours, everything related to the game is ours, and everything else is ours".

If this bothers someone so much, they could stop playing. But perhaps I wouldn't have even started playing if I knew the ramifications of running the program I *purchased*.

What ramifications? I work in the IT Healthcare field, and commonly work on-call from home at night, sometimes even with WoW running as my gameplay was interrupted by a minor catastrophy. Without being informed of Blizzard's practices, I have not known that information from programs outside of Blizzard's scope have been sent over the insecure Internet. Information such as patient privacy information and company finances. Information protected by federal laws such as HIPAA and SOX, whos violations carry very hefty fines and even jail time.

So you don't work with that kind of information... what about your information? Or information from other people's accounts on your PC? Are these protected? Is the data transfer from the warden to Blizzard encrypted? Is the data stored in a permanent database, or scanned and deleted? Who knows? Blizzard's stance seems to be "You accepted an agreement, so shut up and continue paying or go play another game". That is pretty harsh to loyal players that have never even thought of cheating.

[pinion]

Here is the EULA

Version 1, November 2004


YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT BEFORE INSTALLING THIS SOFTWARE PROGRAM. BY INSTALLING, COPYING, OR OTHERWISE USING THE SOFTWARE PROGRAM, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, PROMPTLY RETURN THE UNUSED SOFTWARE PROGRAM TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE, OR CONTACT BLIZZARD CUSTOMER SERVICE AT [phone] FOR A FULL REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE.

END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

This software program on CD-ROM, and any files that are delivered to you by Blizzard (via on-line transmission or otherwise) to "patch," update, or otherwise modify the software program, as well as any printed materials and any on-line or electronic documentation (the "Manual"), and any and all copies and derivative works of such software program and materials (collectively, with the "Game Client" defined below, the "Game") are the copyrighted work of Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Davidson & Associates, Inc. or its suppliers and licensors (collectively referred to herein as "Licensor"). All use of the Game is governed by the terms of this End User License Agreement ("License Agreement" or "Agreement"). The Game may only be played by obtaining from Licensor access to the World of Warcraft massively multi-player on-line role-playing game service (the "Service"), which is subject to a separate Terms of Use agreement (the "Terms of Use"). If your purchase of the Game included a period of "free access" to the Service, the Terms of Use agreement also governs your access to the Service during the period of "free access." The Game is distributed solely for use by authorized end users according to the terms of the License Agreement. Any use, reproduction or redistribution of the Game not expressly authorized by the terms of the License Agreement is expressly prohibited.

1. Grant of a Limited Use License.

The Game installs computer software (hereafter referred to as the "Game Client") onto your hardware to allow you to play the Game through your account with the Service (your "Account"). Licensor hereby grants, and by installing the Game Client you thereby accept, a limited, non-exclusive license and right to install the Game Client for your personal use on one (1) or more computers which you own or which are under your personal control. All use of the Game Client is subject to this License Agreement and to the Terms of Use agreement, which you must accept before you can use your Account to play the Game through access to the Service. Licensor reserves the right to update, modify or change the Terms of Use at any time.

2. Service and Terms of Use.

As mentioned above, you must accept the Terms of Use in order to access the Service to play the Game. The Terms of Use agreement governs all aspects of game play. You may view the Terms of Use by visiting the following website: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/termsofuse.shtml. If you do not agree with the Terms of Use, then (i) you should not register for an Account to play the Game, and (ii) you should contact Licensor's customer service at [phone] to arrange to return the Game for a full refund of the purchase price within thirty (30) days of the original purchase. Once you accept the Terms of Use and register an Account, the purchase price of the Game will not be refunded to you if you choose not to continue the monthly subscription to the Service.

3. Ownership.

A. All title, ownership rights and intellectual property rights in and to the Game and all copies thereof (including, but not limited to, any titles, computer code, themes, objects, characters, character names, stories, dialog, catch phrases, locations, concepts, artwork, character inventories, structural or landscape designs, animations, sounds, musical compositions, audio-visual effects, storylines, character likenesses, methods of operation, moral rights, any related documentation, and "applets" incorporated into the Game) are owned or expressly licensed by Licensor. The Game is protected by the copyright laws of the United States, international copyright treaties and conventions, and other laws. All rights are reserved. The Game may contain certain licensed materials, and the licensors of those materials may enforce their rights in the event of any violation of this License Agreement.


B. You may permanently transfer ownership of the Game and all parts thereof, and all of your rights and obligations under the License Agreement, to another by physically transferring the CD-ROM, all original packaging, and all Manuals or other documentation associated with the Game, and by removing from all of your home or personal computers and destroying any remaining materials concerning the Game in your possession or control, provided the recipient agrees to the terms of this License Agreement. The transferor (i.e., you), and not the Licensor, agrees to be solely responsible for any taxes, fees, charges, duties, withholdings, assessments, and the like, together with any interest, penalties, and additions imposed in connection with such transfer.

4. Responsibilities of End User.

A. Subject to the Grant of License hereinabove, you may not, in whole or in part, copy, photocopy, reproduce, translate, reverse engineer, derive source code, modify, disassemble, decompile, or create derivative works based on the Game, or remove any proprietary notices or labels on the Game. Failure to comply with the restrictions and limitations contained in this Section 4 shall result in immediate, automatic termination of the license granted hereunder and may subject you to civil and/or criminal liability. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may make one (1) copy of the Game Client and the Manuals for archival purposes only.


B. agree that you shall not, under any circumstances,


(i) sell, grant a security interest in or transfer reproductions of the Game to other parties in any way not expressly authorized herein, nor shall you rent, lease or license the Game to others;


(ii) exploit the Game or any of its parts, including, but not limited to, the Game Client, for any commercial purpose, including, but not limited to, use at a cyber café, computer gaming center or any other location-based site without the express written consent of Blizzard;


(iii) host, provide or develop matchmaking services for the Game or intercept, emulate or redirect the communication protocols used by Licensor in any way, including, without limitation, through protocol emulation, tunneling, packet sniffing, modifying or adding components to the Game, use of a utility program or any other techniques now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, unauthorized network play over the Internet, network play utilizing commercial or non-commercial gaming networks or as part of content aggregation networks; or


(iv) create or maintain, under any circumstance, any unauthorized connections to the Game or the Service. All connections to the Game and/or the Service, whether created by the Game Client or by other tools and utilities, may only be made through methods and means expressly approved by Licensor. Under no circumstances may you connect, or create tools that allow you or others to connect, to the Game's proprietary interface or interfaces other than those expressly provided by Licensor for public use.

5. Termination.

This License Agreement is effective until terminated. You may terminate the License Agreement at any time by (i) destroying the Game; (ii) removing the Game Client from your hard drive; and (iii) notifying Licensor of your intention to terminate this License Agreement. Licensor may, at its discretion, terminate this License Agreement in the event that you fail to comply with the terms and conditions contained herein, or the terms and conditions contained in the Terms of Use. In such event, you must immediately destroy the Game and remove the Game Client from your hard drive. Upon termination of this Agreement for any reason, all licenses granted herein shall immediately terminate.

6. Export Controls.

The Game may not be re-exported, downloaded or otherwise exported into (or to a national or resident of) any country to which the U.S. has embargoed goods, or to anyone on the U.S. Treasury Department's list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Commerce Department's Table of Denial Orders. By installing the Game, you are agreeing to the foregoing, and you are representing and warranting that you are not located in, under the control of, or a national or resident of any such country or on any such list.

7. Patches and Updates.

Licensor may deploy or provide patches, updates and modifications to the Game that must be installed for the user to continue to play the Game. Licensor may update the Game remotely, including, without limitation, the Game Client residing on the user's machine, without knowledge or consent of the user, and you hereby grant to Licensor your consent to deploy and apply such patches, updates and modifications to the Game.

8. Duration of the "On-line" Component of the Game.

This Game is an 'on-line' game that must be played over the Internet through the Service, as provided by Licensor. You understand and agree that the Service is provided by Licensor at its discretion and may be terminated or otherwise discontinued by Licensor pursuant to the Terms of Use.

9. Limited Warranty.

Licensor expressly disclaims any warranty for the Game, including the Game Client and Manual(s). THE GAME, GAME CLIENT AND MANUAL(S) ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF CONDITION, DEFECTS, USE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE, OR NONINFRINGEMENT. The entire risk arising out of use or performance of the Game, Game Client and Manual(s) remains with the user. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Licensor warrants up to and including 90 days from the date of your purchase of the Game that the media containing the Game Client shall be free from defects in material and workmanship. In the event that such media proves to be defective during that time period, and upon presentation to Licensor of proof of purchase of the defective media, Licensor will at its option 1) correct any defect, 2) provide you with a product of equal or lesser value, or 3) refund your money. THE FOREGOING IS YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR THE EXPRESS WARRANTY SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

10. Limitation of Liability.

NEITHER LICENSOR NOR ITS PARENT, SUBSIDIARIES OR AFFILIATES SHALL BE LIABLE IN ANY WAY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE GAME, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF GOODWILL, WORK STOPPAGE, COMPUTER FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION, OR ANY AND ALL OTHER DAMAGES OR LOSSES. ANY WARRANTY AGAINST INFRINGEMENT THAT MAY BE PROVIDED IN SECTION 2-312(3) OF THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE AND/OR IN ANY OTHER COMPARABLE STATE STATUTE IS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. FURTHER, Licensor SHALL NOT BE LIABLE IN ANY WAY FOR THE LOSS OR DAMAGE TO PLAYER CHARACTERS, ACCOUNTS, STATISTICS OR USER PROFILE INFORMATION STORED BY THE GAME AND/OR THE SERVICE. LICENSOR shall NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INTerRUPTIONS OF SERVICE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ISP DISRUPTIONS, SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE FAILURES OR ANY OTHER EVENT WHICH MAY RESULT IN A LOSS OF DATA OR DISRUPTION OF SERVICE. IN NO EVENT WILL LICENSOR BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, or allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitations may not apply to you.

11. Equitable Remedies.

You hereby agree that Licensor would be irreparably damaged if the terms of this License Agreement were not specifically enforced, and therefore you agree that Licensor shall be entitled, without bond, other security, or proof of damages, to appropriate equitable remedies with respect to breaches of this License Agreement, in addition to such other remedies as Licensor may otherwise have available to it under applicable laws. In the event any litigation is brought by either party in connection with this License Agreement, the prevailing party in such litigation shall be entitled to recover from the other party all the costs, attorneys' fees and other expenses incurred by such prevailing party in the litigation.

12. Changes to the Agreement.

Blizzard reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change, modify, add to, supplement or delete any of the terms and conditions of this License Agreement when Blizzard upgrades the Game Client, effective upon prior notice as follows: Blizzard will post notification of any such changes to this License Agreement on the World of Warcraft website and will post the revised version of this License Agreement in this location, and may provide such other notice as Blizzard may elect in its sole discretion, which may include by email, postal mail or pop-up screen. If any future changes to this License Agreement are unacceptable to you or cause you to no longer be in compliance with this License Agreement, you may terminate this License Agreement in accordance with Section 5 herein. Your installation and use of any updated or modifications to the Game or your continued use of the Game following notice of changes to this Agreement as described above will mean you accept any and all such changes. Blizzard may change, modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Game at any time. Blizzard may also impose limits on certain features or restrict your access to parts or all of the Game without notice or liability. You have no interest, monetary or otherwise, in any feature or content contained in the Game.

13. Miscellaneous.

This License Agreement shall be deemed to have been made and executed in the State of California without regard to conflicts of law provisions, and any dispute arising hereunder shall be resolved in accordance with the law of California. You agree that any claim asserted in any legal proceeding by one of the parties against the other shall be commenced and maintained in any state or federal court located in the State of California, County of Los Angeles, having subject matter jurisdiction with respect to the dispute between the parties. In the event that any provision of this License Agreement shall be held by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable, such provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible, and the remaining portions of this License Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. This License Agreement constitutes and contains the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior oral or written agreements, provided, however, that this Agreement shall coexist with, and shall not supersede, the Terms of Use. To the extent that the provisions of this Agreement conflict with the provisions of the Terms of Use, the conflicting provisions in the Terms of Use shall govern. I hereby acknowledge that I have read and understand the foregoing License Agreement and agree that the action of installing the Game Client is an acknowledgment of my agreement to be bound by the terms and conditions of the License Agreement contained herein.

(c) 2004 Blizzard Entertainment. All rights reserved. World of Warcraft is a trademark, and Warcraft and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks, of Blizzard Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. All rights are reserved.

[ConcernedCitizen1]

Not playing game because of privacy issues

Look, to all you people whining about privacy issues.

1.) Blizzard is not looking through your My Documents folder or looking into your private financial files.

2.) If you are THAT worried about files of that nature, then use use a program like Folder Guard and keep your important files encrypted!

3.) You can find out what they are looking for here: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=blizzard-archive&t=33&p=1&tmp=1#post33

4.) If you are an honest player that doesn't cheat, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!

5.) Just like my thought on Big Brother watching everywhere with public cameras....WHO CARES!?! If you an honest person that does nothing illegal, they you have nothing to worry about them seeing!

[mike_elliott]

Re: Not playing game because of privacy issues

"1.) Blizzard is not looking through your My Documents folder or looking into your private financial files."
They'd better not be...but who knows what they're actually doing in there. Are you holding the devs hand while he scans your system? What sort of scanning do they use? Call me paranoid, but I tend to be that way when my right to privacy is violated.

"2.) If you are THAT worried about files of that nature, then use use a program like Folder Guard and keep your important files encrypted!"
Riiiight. That's REALLY going to help you, when they justify cracking it because the folder was encrypted and COULD have contained a crack. Cheaters may not be honest, but they're not stupid.

"3.) You can find out what they are looking for here: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=blizzard-archive&t=33&p=1&tmp=1#post33"
Again, the point is, they're violating a right you have.

"4.) If you are an honest player that doesn't cheat, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! 5.) Just like my thought on Big Brother watching everywhere with public cameras....WHO CARES!?! If you an honest person that does nothing illegal, they you have nothing to worry about them seeing!"
I am an honest player, and I don't like it. Why? Just because I'm not doing something wrong, doesn't mean I shouldn't worry about something violating my right to privacy. Yeah, they included it in the TOS...but I want you to think long and hard, and name me ONE person who reads it from top to bottom, front to back, end to end each and every time it pops up in his/her face. No one does...everyone's too anxious to play the game. Just including something THAT dramatically threatening to someone's civil rights demands announcement, not some sneaky, under-handed "it was in the TOS" ********.

I know, no matter where I go, someone will always be watching me. Do I act out of hand because of it? No. In a lot of cases, the reward is worth it. Cameras are designed to catch criminals/petty thieves...someone seeing your face doesn't hurt you in any way.

Blizzard (among many other companies) IS trying to protect their consumers, true, but who's to say they aren't doing other things in there? Do you watch them at every moment? Of course not...if you're connected to the game, strong chance you're actually playing it. Just because they justify it as protecting you, should not allow them to violate your basic right to privacy...this is something you should be asked in a pop-up, something you don't have to dig for, the first time you load the game. Plain and simple.

I'm not doing anything wrong, but I'd like to keep my civil rights intact, thanks.

[liigagi]

Blizzard has every right to...

If youdon't like it, just don't play it. Blizzard has every right to protect their investments, as onlinegaming has turned into a compleatly new reality.

It's not just a game, it's a life for soo many people, which is sad actually, but thats how it is.

Just take a look at sites like www.taukt.com, www.onlinegamehacker.com or www.wowhacksworld.com (only some examples) and you will see that if there was no warden the game would be so full of hackers, that nobody will want to play it. And that's not what blizzard wants.

And why would blizzard want your personal info? Like said in another post here, there is no privacy anyway over the net nowerdays.

[marlberg]

Not from around here are you?

From your incorrect use of tense modifiers in the english language and from your failure to apply basic rights and freedoms enjoyed by citizens of the United States of America, I predict that you are not a Citizen of the United States. If you are a citizen then my apologies. If you are not then it is understandable that you have completely missed the point of these discussions.

It doesnt matter one iota what a company wants to do when it comes to the law. A corporate entity has a right to protect its investment, yes. but only to a point, after which the corporate entity is no longer a law abiding member of the community but at best a scofflaw and at worst an outright criminal.

The laws in this country are based on several innate rights as expressed in that most wondrous of documents The Constitution of the United States of America, and in the laws rules and regulations built to maintain, defend, and protect the citizens of this country from any entity foreign or domestic that would usurp those clearly defined rights. One of these rights layed down by our founding fathers is this:

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Now I dont find any exclusive application of this particular right to be directed solely at the Government of the the United States nor of any particular state.

This right applies to individuals to corporations to state and local governments and to the federal government in toto. You DONT violate this right. Period. doesnt matter if your a government or a corporation or an individual. to do so violates a basic tenet of a free society.

By introducing any software that records a United States Citizens data from his personally owned and operated data storage device or from a publicly accessible data storage device such as in a Library or other public data conveyance is a gross violation of this right.

For you to not know this you are either: A) Too young yet to comprehend what those rights are. B) Not capable of understanding these rights (in which case you are legally forgiven as you do not meet the mental acuity necessary to accept responsibility for your own actions nor to enter into a binding agreement) C) not a citizen of the United States or Legal resident working towards citizenship, else you would know from your civics classes that you are protected by this right, or D) any combination of the other three.

Corporations no matter the language of the EULA may not author nor enforce any contract or agreement which violates any federal or state law statute or ordinance. Further they may not violate this particular right. Any agreement that does so, inclusive of severability clauses, becomes unenforcible in its totality.

Me personally? Im not too worried about "Hackers" or "Cheaters" or "Exploiters" as they are usually trapped without too much difficulty within the community of WoW itself. Our own netizens keep a close watch on each other in these environments and report anything out of the ordinary. Thats even a little BigBrotherish for my tastes but we as a community do take notice of the unusualy and will for the most part report unusual activity.

Blizzard also maintains a firewall(s) on their equipment that they can use to limit access to their servers in multiple ways which provides further protection. They also maintain technology used for the purpose of sniffing packets of data distributed to their devices from outside the firewall that particularly describes the Host and the actions or instructions to be executed and in this way can monitor the clients use, and or potential abuse WITHOUT having to look at any data on a Game Client machine.

Now with all those other protections in place I ask you two simple questions. Why does Blizzard need to look at data on YOUR Game Machine? What assurances do we the citizens have that the data gathered by Blizzard is handled appropriately?

If you doubt the validity of that last question I suggest you talk to The Department of Veteran Affairs, TDAmeritrade ETrade HP The State of Massachusets American Express or any other company that has had personal and confidential data stolen off of a laptop that wasnt supposed to have that kind of data on it in the first place.

[marlberg]

Not from around here are you?

From your incorrect use of tense modifiers in the english language and from your failure to apply basic rights and freedoms enjoyed by citizens of the United States of America, I predict that you are not a Citizen of the United States. If you are a citizen then my apologies. If you are not then it is understandable that you have completely missed the point of these discussions.

It doesnt matter one iota what a company wants to do when it comes to the law. A corporate entity has a right to protect its investment, yes. but only to a point, after which the corporate entity is no longer a law abiding member of the community but at best a scofflaw and at worst an outright criminal.

The laws in this country are based on several innate rights as expressed in that most wondrous of documents The Constitution of the United States of America, and in the laws rules and regulations built to maintain, defend, and protect the citizens of this country from any entity foreign or domestic that would usurp those clearly defined rights. One of these rights layed down by our founding fathers is this:

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Now I dont find any exclusive application of this particular right to be directed solely at the Government of the the United States nor of any particular state.

This right applies to individuals to corporations to state and local governments and to the federal government in toto. You DONT violate this right. Period. doesnt matter if your a government or a corporation or an individual. to do so violates a basic tenet of a free society.

By introducing any software that records a United States Citizens data from his personally owned and operated data storage device or from a publicly accessible data storage device such as in a Library or other public data conveyance is a gross violation of this right.

For you to not know this you are either: A) Too young yet to comprehend what those rights are. B) Not capable of understanding these rights (in which case you are legally forgiven as you do not meet the mental acuity necessary to accept responsibility for your own actions nor to enter into a binding agreement) C) not a citizen of the United States or Legal resident working towards citizenship, else you would know from your civics classes that you are protected by this right, or D) any combination of the other three.

Corporations no matter the language of the EULA may not author nor enforce any contract or agreement which violates any federal or state law statute or ordinance. Further they may not violate this particular right. Any agreement that does so, inclusive of severability clauses, becomes unenforcible in its totality.

Me personally? Im not too worried about "Hackers" or "Cheaters" or "Exploiters" as they are usually trapped without too much difficulty within the community of WoW itself. Our own netizens keep a close watch on each other in these environments and report anything out of the ordinary. Thats even a little BigBrotherish for my tastes but we as a community do take notice of the unusualy and will for the most part report unusual activity.

Blizzard also maintains a firewall(s) on their equipment that they can use to limit access to their servers in multiple ways which provides further protection. They also maintain technology used for the purpose of sniffing packets of data distributed to their devices from outside the firewall that particularly describes the Host and the actions or instructions to be executed and in this way can monitor the clients use, and or potential abuse WITHOUT having to look at any data on a Game Client machine.

Now with all those other protections in place I ask you two simple questions. Why does Blizzard need to look at data on YOUR Game Machine? What assurances do we the citizens have that the data gathered by Blizzard is handled appropriately?

If you doubt the validity of that last question I suggest you talk to The Department of Veteran Affairs, TDAmeritrade ETrade HP The State of Massachusets American Express or any other company that has had personal and confidential data stolen off of a laptop that wasnt supposed to have that kind of data on it in the first place.

[liigagi]

Blizz has every right to...

If youdon't like it, just don't play it. Blizzard has every right to protect their investments, as onlinegaming has turned into a compleatly new reality.

It's not just a game, it's a life for soo many people, which is sad actually, but thats how it is.

Just take a look at sites like www.taukt.com, www.onlinegamehacker.com or www.wowhacksworld.com (only some examples) and you will see that if there was no warden the game would be so full of hackers, that nobody will want to play it. And that's not what blizzard wants.

And why would blizzard want your personal info? Like said in another post here, there is no privacy anyway over the net nowerdays.

[ace2008007]

in blizzard terms theres nothing mention about scanning your computer and they wont even let you to print off the terms of use aggreement. what really blows my mind is that they scanned my computer hard drive with out asking for my permission. i have records that they scan not just your memory but your files on your hard drives. someone should make a partion and get this thing settle