RealID Privacy Concerns.

Thrae · 05-20-10, 03:39 AM

As it works right now, the new RealID system will provide:

- Your email address associated with B.Net (you must provide this so the other person can RealID Friend you).

- Your real name, first AND last. (including to Friends of Friends)

- Your in-game status anywhere on Battle.net. (including to Friends of Friends)

I have made my point here: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/th...468&sid=1#1535

As I hope you all will. While I feel I know some of you well enough to allow you access to this information, there's not only the real possibility that raiding guilds will require it, but also the fact that just a few small changes BEFORE it goes live (as to avoid a database programmer's nightmare) would satisfy simple common sense beyond just what's on that thread and open up RealID as a real social networking tool instead of the current, very limited way its implemented. Please don't let Blizzard make such a silly mistake!

orionshock · 05-20-10, 07:58 PM

This isn't a privacy concern, this is an issue with you wanting to remain anonymous while online. Anonymity and Privacy are not the same nor interchangeable words

Edit x 2: other ideas here where bad mojo

Petrah · 05-20-10, 10:37 PM

Privacy:

Noun

S: (n) privacy, privateness, seclusion (the quality of being secluded from the presence or view of others)
S: (n) privacy, privateness, secrecy, concealment (the condition of being concealed or hidden)

It should show your character name. That's it and that's all. Anything else is unacceptable... I won't be using it unless I can protect my privacy.

nightcracker · 05-21-10, 01:27 AM

One of my friends had to make a battle.NET account with as first and last name his mother's because that was needed for the creditcard billing legal issues.

Now all of his friends will see his mother's name in the real ID. Like, WTF???

Just make it so that you can set your own ID name.

orionshock · 05-21-10, 03:26 AM

Originally Posted by Petrah

[...]

It should show your character name. That's it and that's all. Anything else is unacceptable... I won't be using it unless I can protect my privacy.

My take is quite simple, the RealID system was developed for friends IRL that play on blizzard's games. if your not friends IRL, then why would you give them your email to use on the RealID system and then authorise them to be added?

Personally, I'd prefer they keep the system setup the way it is. Force people to own up to their name and their actions. It is time to grow a pair when it comes to dealing with the Internet. The webernets is not a park ride, it's NY City. Stay out of the bad parts.

dafire · 05-21-10, 04:18 AM

The RealID system is for real friends... so I think it is fine.

forty2j · 05-21-10, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by dafire

The RealID system is for real friends... so I think it is fine.

I agree with this.

I also think it should be possible for my guild on Server A to contact me while playing on Server B without using RealID. This is the part that's a problem right now.

Petrah · 05-21-10, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by orionshock

My take is quite simple, the RealID system was developed for friends IRL that play on blizzard's games. if your not friends IRL, then why would you give them your email to use on the RealID system and then authorise them to be added?

Personally, I'd prefer they keep the system setup the way it is. Force people to own up to their name and their actions. It is time to grow a pair when it comes to dealing with the Internet. The webernets is not a park ride, it's NY City. Stay out of the bad parts.

Force people to own up to their name and their actions? LOL

Some of us have been around since the BBS days, and we're quite grown up and know very well how to "stay out of the bad parts". It's why we're complaining about the way Blizz is doing this to begin with!

If EQ could do it with the messenger system they had (where the only info anyone ever got was your in game character name), then so can Blizzard. This is a bad, bad move on Blizzards part.

Until they change this so we can have privacy, I won't be getting involved with it.

mankeluvsit · 05-21-10, 09:33 PM

you're only worried about being anonymous if you have something to hide.
what can they do with your name? squat.
i can understand the email part because of hackers. my email is linked to everything i use so that would be a bad thing for me if i was ever hacked [:
as it is now, it is not required to use real id, so its your choice.

Petrah · 05-21-10, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by mankeluvsit

you're only worried about being anonymous if you have something to hide.
what can they do with your name? squat.
i can understand the email part because of hackers. my email is linked to everything i use so that would be a bad thing for me if i was ever hacked [:
as it is now, it is not required to use real id, so its your choice.

Wow.

blahblahblahblahblahlblahlimit

datahedron · 05-21-10, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by mankeluvsit

you're only worried about being anonymous if you have something to hide.
what can they do with your name? squat.
i can understand the email part because of hackers. my email is linked to everything i use so that would be a bad thing for me if i was ever hacked [:
as it is now, it is not required to use real id, so its your choice.

It would appear you have never been hacked or cyberstalked. Anyone who knows your first and last name, and that you play WoW, and one, maybe two more details, can acquire a MASSIVE amount of other information on you. The way it's implemented right now, too much is being put out in the public domain without any control. Why prevent us from simply having a bank alt that doesn't show up? (I hate logging on before work to check my AH toon, and being bombarded with requests to come tank such and such an instance. Makes me feel guilty when I have to turn down my friends, so I usually keep my AH toon name to myself..)
Besides, you need your FULL BNET email to "friend" anyone, and that's half of the base login info for your account. With Blizz being so concerned about account privacy, why the heck would they use this? It would be much simpler, and safer, to simply use a BNET alias instead. Even with an authenticator, I'm not giving out my email to anyone...

Originally Posted by dafire

The RealID system is for real friends... so I think it is fine.

However, the system as currently advertised does not allow for the very real possiblity that your RL friends have poor judgement. The "Friends of Friends" system is totally unneeded. Besides, my RL friends can already contact me via phone, email, text, FB, or YIM. Why make another system that does the same thing?

mankeluvsit · 05-21-10, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by datahedron

It would appear you have never been hacked or cyberstalked. Anyone who knows your first and last name, and that you play WoW, and one, maybe two more details, can acquire a MASSIVE amount of other information on you. The way it's implemented right now, too much is being put out in the public domain without any control. Why prevent us from simply having a bank alt that doesn't show up? (I hate logging on before work to check my AH toon, and being bombarded with requests to come tank such and such an instance. Makes me feel guilty when I have to turn down my friends, so I usually keep my AH toon name to myself..)
Besides, you need your FULL BNET email to "friend" anyone, and that's half of the base login info for your account. With Blizz being so concerned about account privacy, why the heck would they use this? It would be much simpler, and safer, to simply use a BNET alias instead. Even with an authenticator, I'm not giving out my email to anyone...

However, the system as currently advertised does not allow for the very real possiblity that your RL friends have poor judgement. The "Friends of Friends" system is totally unneeded. Besides, my RL friends can already contact me via phone, email, text, FB, or YIM. Why make another system that does the same thing?

i've been hacked and cyberstalked, i didnt care that much, it just goes to show take the proper precautions if you dont want it to happen.
again, you're not being forced to use it, leave it at that.

Torhal · 05-22-10, 01:17 AM

Originally Posted by mankeluvsit

i've been hacked and cyberstalked, i didnt care that much<snip>

Key word here is "I". Leave it at that.

Petrah · 05-22-10, 01:39 AM

Originally Posted by Torhal

Key word here is "I". Leave it at that.

This.

blahblahblahlimitblahblahblah

Bluspacecow · 05-22-10, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by datahedron

Besides, you need your FULL BNET email to "friend" anyone, and that's half of the base login info for your account. With Blizz being so concerned about account privacy, why the heck would they use this? It would be much simpler, and safer, to simply use a BNET alias instead. Even with an authenticator, I'm not giving out my email to anyone...

Your b.net email address is only used once during the friending process. Once it's used to connect you as Real ID friends then it isn't displayed again anywhere in game , in your friends RealID interface or in your friend's friends RealID interface.

I do believe the whole process is done via internal battle.net account numbers.

I was having problems getting on the PTR so I asked Shefki for help as he was able to get on the PTR fine and he uses a mac as well. When he logged in under my battle.net account he told me that new folders now appear in the WTF folder in the accounts folder. He said he had a 5 digit number folder in there and I had a 7 digit number folder in there.

So I think this would mean that if you are "forced" to give out your b.net email address to someone you don't consider a friend you could always change your b.net email address and they should still stay on your RealID friends list.

It's a good security practice to change your battle.net email regularly anyway - it's easy , takes no more then 10 minutes and changes the login name for your wow account instantly

Xrystal · 05-22-10, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by Bluspacecow

Your b.net email address is only used once during the friending process. Once it's used to connect you as Real ID friends then it isn't displayed again anywhere in game , in your friends RealID interface or in your friend's friends RealID interface.

I do believe the whole process is done via internal battle.net account numbers.

I was having problems getting on the PTR so I asked Shefki for help as he was able to get on the PTR fine and he uses a mac as well. When he logged in under my battle.net account he told me that new folders now appear in the WTF folder in the accounts folder. He said he had a 5 digit number folder in there and I had a 7 digit number folder in there.

So I think this would mean that if you are "forced" to give out your b.net email address to someone you don't consider a friend you could always change your b.net email address and they should still stay on your RealID friends list.

It's a good security practice to change your battle.net email regularly anyway - it's easy , takes no more then 10 minutes and changes the login name for your wow account instantly

Just checked myself in the test server folder and yep. I have a 9 digit folder in there.

EG.

Code:

WoW
|___ WTF
     |__ 123456789#1
     |__ WoWAccountName

Principatus · 05-22-10, 11:41 AM

I think none of the concerns regarding RealID & anonymity sounds like a problem at all.

RealID, from what I understand, is a fully optional service available to everyone, but cannot be abused in any way without the player in question knowing about it.

First of all, you need to know the Battle.Net username of your RealID friend, which people don't give out to just anyone (if they do, then that's their problem & irrelevant to us).
Secondly, if you use a good password & change it regularly, giving out your Battle.Net username does not at all make it easier for people to crack into your account. Forum accounts are a good example; most people (who just can't be bothered with an extra e-mail for the B.Net service, myself included) use their Battle.Net address as their e-mail address as well. Though my BNet username & e-mail are the same, I do not use the same password on both.
However, it is still stupidly easy to learn Battle.Net usernames simply by hacking into accounts in a forum (this one, for instance) & look at the private details. That, however, doesn't mean they'll get into your BNet account (unless you're stupid & use the same password on that forum as you do for your BNet). And that's been true for me ever since my BNet was created, and my e-mail address is widely known to not only my friends, but everyone who vists the places I usually hang about online.

As long as you know how to browse the Internet, chances are you're more likely to be keylogged than anyone ever guessing your password.

Thirdly, I do believe Blizzard stated that you would be able to choose an "Appearance" (i.e nickname) when setting up your RealID, which must be manually enabled in your Battle.Net.
But don't quote me on that.

But ultimately, only people you trust (real life friends, most likely - or family) should be added to your RealID; anything else would just be silly.

aceman67 · 05-26-10, 09:24 PM

Considering the recent concessions that Facebook had to make at the behest of both the Canadian and US governments recently, I'm pretty sure that Blizzard will take a lesson or two from FB and give users the option as what information is to be made available.

Don't want people to know your real name? Simple, turn that off.

You're forgetting that Blizzard, unlike some other software developers, actually listen to their consumer base if the same thing is requested enough. Don't believe me? Look at the Death Knight class, we've been nerfed to hell since Wrath launch.

Also, if you're that concerned about your privacy on B.net, Simply don't add anyone to your friends list, become a hermit and don't take advantage of what would be a helpful boon to what is already a thriving online community of players.

Me personally, I hope that blizz will eventually allow us to add people from other realms that we meet using the LFG system and even allow us to queue up for randoms together simply because we know the other person is made of awesome-sauce. There are some players that I had the pleasure of running with on dozens of occasions from lv15-70 while leveling my druid, and I'd love the ability to run heroics with them in Wrath.