[News] Electronic Arts' Spies On You!

It would seem EA have reached another milestone in the form of customer service. In order to better serve you, the customer, they are now including spyware free of charge with possibly all of their upcoming PC software starting with the flagship Battlefield 2142.

All you have to do is install the software and agree to the EULA while the wizardry sends all of your personal data and internet habits back to the EA offices to be pondered over. Why? To provide you, the customer, with in-game ads related to your browsing habits.

Quote:

When you open the box, a big slip of paper falls out first, preceding any discs or manuals. The slip of paper says, essentially, that 2142 includes monitoring software which runs while your computer is online, and records "anonymous" information like your IP address, surfing habits (probably via cookie scans), and other "computing habits" in order to report this information back to ad companies and ad servers, which generates in-game ads.

EA guy #1: Let's see what Bob, aka DeathStryker, is up to tonight.
EA guy #2: He's looking at some German fetish porn site where the girls pee on all these dudes. In the face.
EA guy #1: Hmmmm.

[A little later that night]

Bob: Time to wtfpwn some n00bs in Battlefield 2142.

[game loading....]

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Bob: >_>? Wtf

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It doesn't spy your computer or internet browsing, it only checks to see what ad youve been looking at in-game and how long you've been doing so in order to swap it out.

http://www.gamingforce.com/forums/mu...tml#post292464

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Sounds a little off to me. Its ok if they offer you the oppurtunity to accept or decline this type of thing, but installing it as standard isnt right. Something should be done to disallow such things.

On the contrary they are covered legally because there is a notice in the box, but just how many people read every bit of paper enclosed in the box?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I think it would be wise for someone to get some hard facts on this. Since you started this topic JackyBoy, you should write EA.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Hmmm... Have to give them credit for innovation and trying new things. I guess as long as they aren't impeding on people's rights or anything (Although that probably doesn't matter to the company in the end anyway), then its okay. Helps you have the ability to have personalized advertising. Its going to be like Minority Report. When you log onto the game, it will have a personal advertising message for you.

It would make me feel special.

I was speaking idiomatically.

It's not just in game it's all the time. As long as your computer is on and connected to the internet they can moniter you. Let us think of a more exteme case. Your joking with your freind about blowing up a school, next thing you know FBI is at your door for "Terroristic Threatning". It's an invasion of our rights and privacy. We as gamers owe EA jack shit. Valve that was something we deserved with the whole connection thing because of piracy. Remember people your viruses in the future will not come from the kid down the street, and if they do the'll still be working for Coca-Cola or Downey.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Seriously? Like even if you are just on the internet browsing they can pop-up specific advertisements and stuff? If that is the case, then I think this could be much more serious.

I mean, I am all for advertising, but there must be a better way of doing it. But I guess this is the best way to have a target audience. Now they can specifically target what you like and advertise it to you all the time.

FELIPE NO