Originally Posted by Dolby
I have mixed feelings on this I think.
I love that Blizzard was able to help take down a criminal. I think that's great.
Just kind of scares me Blizzard gave up that info, yeah it was to the authorities but still doesnt sit right with me. Maybe I'm just being too paranoid.
|
No, I totally agree. I'm glad the guy was caught, but the fact that Blizzard violated it's own user agreement to not disclose player info to 3rd parties bothers me. By the sounds of it, it was a bull**** subpoena with no grounds other than "some witches and warlocks" game. Seriously, first thought I had was D&D, not WoW.
|
“None of that information was sound enough to pursue on its own, but putting everything we had together gave me enough evidence to send a subpoena to Blizzard Entertainment. I knew exactly what he was playing — World of Warcraft. I used to play it. It’s one of the largest online games in the world.”
|
Translation: I was addicted to WOW before and have a hunch that he may play it too. I got lucky, because if he didn't play my ass probably would've been sued.
Now that this has been "successful", what stops them from going further?
|
We still haven't been able to find this serial killer. Reliquish any and all accounts having <insert name here> as their registered name.
|
|
<name> has a bench warrant for multiple traffic violations, but has since moved. We need to access your database to get his new current address.
|
|
We need to get a hold of a potential witness to a crime last week, but all we have is a name. We have a court order for you to give us all the users in <insert area> with the name <insert name> so that we establish contact.
|
Again, I'm not against catching criminals. Far from it. But if a gaming company is not going to have the balls to protect my privacy that they promise to, whether criminal or otherwise, then Blizzard will lose me....
PERMANENTLY.
Honestly, as I reread the last paragraph, I'm starting to get pissed. Obviously the government has gotten completely insane with this whole "you have no privacy" crap. And you thought that the old hippy down the road was nuts, didn't you?
Well, it's looking like he was right. Seriously? Accessing PS3's and Xbox's hooked to an internet connection?
11 million customers (roughly) registered to play WoW. Chances that a person plays? Pretty good. If this activity is going to continue to be permitted, it's going to become a standard investigation policy to subpoena every online game currently running at the time in an attempt to find someone. Wanna kill online gaming? Keep invading privacy agreements like this and it sure as hell will.
Gonna shut up now. I'm now pissed after thinking about this more deeply and now I'm rambling. Anyone who has the name "John Smith" has my condolences, because you guys are the first ones that are gonna get screwed if there is ever a criminal sought with that name.