Steam Nomo

Discussion in 'Off Topic' started by Jack O'Track, May 14, 2021.

  1. Jack O'Track

    Jack O'Track Active Member

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    Steam IMO is no better or even worse than Facebook; it spies on your purchasing, your gaming time, monitors your hardware, and who knows to whom they are selling the collected info.

    Maybe not right away, see below, but later on. I stopped buying anything from steam now.
    Sorry Dovetail, Sorry Rivet. Just handle your own sales, you make more money too.

    https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/dami...ore-collecting-steam-data-without-permission/

    https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2019/03/19/epic-in-hot-water-over-steam-scraping-code/

    https://steamcommunity.com/app/761910/discussions/0/1777135944136699090/
     
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  2. Tigert1966

    Tigert1966 Well-Known Member

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    I struggle to see why anyone is surprised by this. Personally I’m not bothered. Steam can know what hardware I’ve got and when and what I play. I don’t mind anonymous crash reports being collected either.

    Everything we do is tracked these days. My local supermarket knows my lifestyle pretty well thanks to their points card.

    I’d be far more worried about stuff I voluntarily post on the internet. For example some of the people always posting negative things on DTG products on Facebook (rightly or wrongly) are quite easily identifiable. Potential future employers can search for this. People really need to consider what they post themselves!
     
  3. GuitarMan

    GuitarMan Well-Known Member

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    Have you not considered the positives this information could provide to developers?

    Steam tracks Hardware - Developers KNOW the average hardware specs of their users and can avoid creating a game with minimum specs that would eliminate a majority of their customers etc...

    Equally, if a developers customer are not playing on toasters - they can improve the requirements of the game to make more use of the hardware their customers own etc...
     
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  4. DTG Protagonist

    DTG Protagonist Has left the building Staff Member

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    I'm curious who you think would want that data other than game developers?
    Also, since that data is anonymised behind your Steam ID what the risk to you is?

    All PC game development relies on Steam data to make better decisions when designing a game. This ranges from hardware choices to the number of hours spent in game. Privacy is important, yes, but ultimately all the data gathered by Steam is used to help the people making software make better software.

    If you're ever concerned about data companies hold, put yourself in the mindset of someone who wants to gain from that data - how could they use it to make your life worse? In Steam's case, the worst case scenario is that it facilitates the development of something that you might really want (because the data suggests it). If you've an alternative perspective, I'm eager to hear it.
     
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  5. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    It's on the internet. Why is this a surprise to anyone?
    And I know lots of people want you to be scared about who has what data of yours (normally to sell you something which "protects you" whilst actually giving them your data instead) but really, who cares if I spend hours playing train games or looking at artificial giraffe insemination videos?
     
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  6. Luke8899

    Luke8899 Well-Known Member

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    You'd just better hope there isn't a shady cabal of giraffe fundamentalists with a thirst for revenge and access to the internet.
     
  7. TheCadManFan

    TheCadManFan Well-Known Member

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    Why does this thread remind me of the Gene Hackman character from The Conversation and Enemy Of The State?

    Don't look up, lest a passing satelite take a snap of you. ;)
     
  8. tft#6439

    tft#6439 Well-Known Member

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    Thing some people don't think about is if Steam got hacked then that hacker and potential team of hackers they would have all the info to everything on steam even the private stuff. That of course includes your personal data which then as a result gives them access to your files and everything inbetween. Then that would give them access to all your personal data on your PC. Then that would mean a chance of the PC getting hacked. Or worse a cyber hack. And if it's a chromebook which is linked to all your devices that means they also would have access to everything else like your forums account google account and again everything inbetween. I may be overthinking but you share a very valid point Jack O'Track.
     
  9. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    You are
    Them "hacking steam" would only give them the information that steam holds, and unless you have a file stored on steam that says "hey, here's all my passwords" then no, they'd have to hack all the other parts of the chain you mentioned

    Them having SOME personal data doesn't mean they have ALL personal data, and even if they did unless you're doing something criminal who cares? Some people might be shamed into doing things they don't want to (ie blackmail) but many will be like me, as in I really don't give two hoots, and those who are being blackmailed should get the police involved WITHOUT telling the blackmailer they're doing so and they won't be being blackmailed for too much longer.

    One thing that would NOT happen is them having access to everything on your PC from getting into your steam account. Even if steam recorded the last external IP address you used to access their platform that could be shared between thousands of hosts on your internet provider, and they would need to also then hack your PC (so already this is becomming a lot of work for probably little return)

    It doesn't need to be a chromebook... Windows has access to more information on your PC than google generally does, and if you think they're not analysing it... (They are, but again who really cares?)

    Lastly, none of this is really relevant because most security flaws have nothing to do with hacking or people maliciously targetting an individual, they don't need to. They just send a billion emails (automated, of course, nobody's actually working here) with fake links to a tax return website or a "we failed to deliver your package" type thing. That website has a very very small file embedded in it which runs some code which causes your machine to download a tracer in the background, which downloads something else which then steals your data with the passwords you've entered and records your keystrokes...
    But again, because most people's data is mundane they don't care

    The only time these things really get any traction is when they manage to get someone who is willing to hit the button for them and transfer the money themselves, so I wouldn't worry so much about hacking of your personal data, but I would educate your granny about not giving her card details out when someone says they want to give her money (yes that's ageist and sexist but it's making a point)
     
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  10. CowBoyWolf

    CowBoyWolf Well-Known Member

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    the fact that you bumped an two year old thread dude
     
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  11. tft#6439

    tft#6439 Well-Known Member

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    for some reason I tried to type "Steam" into the search bar thinking there might be something about a steam route and it was one of the top results.
     
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  12. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    DTG (specifically JD) have said this is allowed
     
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