If you have ever played WoW, enjoy your spyware

[HTM|Assraker]

It seems that World of Warcraft (WoW) has one of the most intrusive spyware programs ever created, streamed directly to your PC from their servers. It reads ANYTHING and EVERYTHING text in any window you have open, and transfers it back to Blizzard. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

http://www.rootkit.com/blog.php?newsid=358

[HTM~Spas]

:-s WOW! Good thing I don't play WOW. That really sucks donkey schlong.

[)o(Stormblade]

Holy Shit!!!! My respect for Blizzard has just gotten flushed down the toilet! Bastards!!! Man, is it just me, or does it seem like "Big Brother(s)" are trying to know EVERYTHING we do these days?

~ Conspiracy!
~ What conspiracy?
~ Exactly! Freedom's an illusion!

[R.E.D.psk]

I don't play WOW (just not my thing) and at first i was pretty amazed reading that one. But.. did you guys read all of it? including the comments and links? or just that post..

I read through the links and such and really, it sounds like it's just part of an anti-cheating protection plan. Granted, thats pretty intrusive, but i don't think it's the giant big deal people are going to try and make it.

I'm not sure how most anti-cheating software works, but as long as they don't do anything with the information that client is picking up (credit cards, etc), it's just data. No one is really looking AT the data, Just for certain parts of the data, like cheating software. The amount of data they would get from ONE day of doing this.. would probably fill up a library worth of books. Do you really think they're going to go through all that and pick things out?

AOL logs all chat messages and so forth (apparently) at their main hub. Gmail sends their data to the US government. God, don't even get me STARTED on MSN and so forth. Or just Microsoft and in general. My point is, theres so much data being thrown all over from millions of people every day- that somewhere, someone is logging.. But the odds of anyone actually doing anything with all that information being saved someplace, is just insanely low.

If i were to worry about anything from that, I'd worry about someone intercepting that signal from WOW back to Blizzard. if thats even POSSIBLE. But if it is, well, THEY could get all your information and such. But I really highly doubt Blizzard themselves are going to do anything with it.

Just some thoughts before everyone flies off the deep end, is all :wink:

[HTM|Assraker]

What if you did your banking with Quicken, you decided to take a "brain break" & minimize it to play WoW for just a few minutes.

Would you feel safe in knowing that their software just read ALL of you financial information in the open window & transmitted it to their server?

Now, what if someone who worked for Blizzard, happened to need some bling...

[R.E.D.psk]

Believe me man, i know what you mean. and i understand the worry about it. I wouldn't really like that, no. But I just highly highly doubt anyone at Blizzard is really looking at that. I really don't think they are.

If they are? Well, then I'm wrong. That sucks, and i'm sure they'll be busted for it.

I just don't really think thats the intent. Thats all.

[HTM|JaK_5quat]

I just don't really think thats the intent. Thats all.

But that's the point! Intent is all well and good but let's remember that the "intent" of the "emergency federal income tax" during WWII was to "temporarily fund the war effort."

If the data is there, it's available. I'm not a paranoid or anything, but as an example, let's just suppose Homeland Security decided it was a matter of National Security to mine data gathered from online gamers. Maybe because, let's say, hypothetically, a "gamer" was involved in a terrorist plot. With the current so called Patriot Act it's snap for them to grab any information "available." Not a conspiracy theory. It's the current law. And it pays to remember also that this is the same Government that fought so hard to keep encryption out of the Public's hands a few years ago.

Though the original "intent" may not be to invade your privacy, the very act of gathering data in that fashion is a gross invasion. Not to mention overtly intrusive and just plain lazy programming.

I'm with Stormblade - doesn't it just seem like the American government and even corporate America feels like it's their birthright to know anything and everything there is to know about you, John Q Citizen? Real Freedom (with a capital F) is starting to seem more and more tenuous. It's the little things that slip in under the wire that turn around and bite you when they are combined.

It's kind of a silly reference, but does anyone remember that original Star Trek episode named "The Trouble with Tribbles?" A silly but appropo analogy I'd say. "Gee, they're cute and harmless. Ah, they're getting kind of annoying. They're mucking up the machinery. Shit, they've eaten all the food. OMG, we're going to die if we don't get rid of them." The devil is in the details, as they say.

[Moo]

Hey I told some of my friends about this and they said they got some spy ware too, wow huh?

[HTM|Minion]

Well...you guys should know that HTM servers have been taking all your financial information for years now. Shoot...how do you think we bought JaK his boat?

Just kidding of course, I'm glad I only have time for 1 game these days.

[{F8}Kruel]

If Blizzard's spyware is actually sending the Quicken data back to their server I'd be worried... but if it's all done client-side I wouldn't worry.

My guess is that the checks are done client-side for the most part, but if your financial data has a word that matches that of a known hack, the data would be sent to Blizzard.

[HTM|Sp@ceMonkey]

Every one can have all the opinions they want of the intent of blizzard, but the fact remains that there is many many people who work for blizzard......MANY MANY PEOPLE have access to your private info. Just cuz the head of blizzard doesnt have those intentions, doesnt mean the hundreds of computer techs working for them dont. Especially if some of them had drug problems and needed cash for their stash.

You can't just trust people with your personal info. Especially every one of blizzard employees. IMHO Spyware should be ILLEGAL. It is total B.S. that they can secretly install SH*T in your computer, just cuz you bought their game, they have access to your life, at their own will?

They might not want to do that......but they HAVE THE OPTION.....that's like leaving your door unlocked at home and putting a rob me sign hung up your door saying you went out for groceries.

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/ There's crime stats....look up your state, and see how many bad people got caught, and imagine how many people don't get caught. (burglaries, theft, yadda, yadda)

My point is....if you trust random people like employees of Blizzard....you might get randomly hit by crime, and be a random stat....then may be have to look for a random lawyer, who randomly screws you over on your lawyer bill, for money you might not even get back. (aka losing money twice)

Some people call this type of thinking paranoid. I call it rational.

And Minion, where the hell is that plane you said you'd buy me if I got my pilots license? (which you paid for as well) LOL

[)o(Stormblade]

Wow.... Seems like so many people in the USA are not "awake', but you guys obviously are. The Patriot Act that JaK mentioned was passed without mostly being read. Now the son of the Patriot Act, the Patriot Act 2, is something that actually left my Sister in tears when I had her read what it contained. These are dark times and they'll get much darker unless more people start waking up to what's actually going on around them. It's starts out with a little bit here, something happens, a little bit more there gets passed as a new law, on and on.

I'm not going to go off concerning everything I've learned about HOW this Govt, more importantly "The Shadow Govt" works, nor how other govts around the world are screwing their people, but really, start learning what's going on. If you're not scared, you will be.

Ignorance is not bliss, it's simply a means to not see "it" coming when "it" comes to tear your head off.

[frogger]

paranoia will destroy ya.

fact or fiction..or the likely line somewhere in the middle...the world is really not much different than it has been for hundreds/thousand years..obviously its more modern and such, but governments have been 'secretly destoying the world' since the first ape ruled over Cave Mountain #1.

(obviously just my opinion..)

[R.E.D.psk]

Edit:
deleted post about politics at the respect of not upsetting people. sorry to those who I did upset in doing so. It can get into a heated discussion depending on who it is you talk about it to.. And i don't want that.
Sorry again for anyone who was upset.

[Moo]

Hey if blizzerd is sending spy ware could they be doing it through Diablo2 and Starcraft?????

[HTM|Sp@ceMonkey]

Them are old games moo...we would have known by now hehe. (cool games though) Just use some anti spyware program to see if you do or not, thats the only way.

[HTM|Silence]

i play WoW!

they can have my details, jolly good game.
the producers are a bit dodgy though.