Ubisoft Looking Into Concerning Secret Data Collection Claims

Noyb, a data protection company, has filed a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority detailing a complaint that they got from a player who had to sign into a Ubisoft game to play, even though they wanted to play it offline. In other words, when this player attempted to start the game in offline mode on Steam, it was blocked until they went into online mode and signed into their Ubisoft account- the game they were playing was single-player and therefore did not need internet to function. When the player further questioned the reason behind this, they were told that the company needed to do an “ownership check” and was stonewalled from more information.

The way this was done by the support team was to refer the complaint to the End User License Agreement and privacy policy, where the company talks about data use, confirming that they store things like log-in data. Noyb filed a lawsuit claiming that this was unnecessary and therefore unlawful. The player did not consent to this use, and the logic behind the explanation is flawed. If the ownership was in question, they would not be using Steam, one of the biggest gaming platforms out there, and they have a built-in option to play their games offline. So..why did Ubisoft lie?

Why It Matters

The Ubisoft lawsuit is big. It’s demanding that Ubisoft look into its games and request that the data protection authority impose a 92 million pound fine on the company after considering their over 2 billion turnover, and that they stop this practice, then delete all the personal data they have found on their players from this method. Of course, Ubisoft released a statement saying they heard it and are looking into the matter, that they are committed to keeping people’s data safe, and that players control that via their Privacy Center. This is one of the most corporate answers I have heard in a while. They lied to the player. Why should we trust them?

Now, the big problem is setting a precedent in general that allows game makers to push boundaries that players have within their own rights to their games. If they can get away with not asking to monitor your “data,” what data are they tracking? As Technology grows, what can they reach for? Games can already reach into your systems to find information you haven’t given the game within its self programs that can hack your stuff for a scare or a cool gimmick- that’s fine, unless it’s happening without your awareness. It’s a whole company. We need to show them that there’s a limit here that cannot be pushed without pushback.

We Have a Voice

There are a lot of things that people let go of when it comes to games and their makers. It’s hard to remember how things used to be when you bought a game, then you owned it, and that was that. If you look at the creeping power grab most companies have enacted, then you might start to see the pattern going on here. Heck! A game official has been quoted as saying that “gamers need to get comfortable not owning the games they buy.” Guess what? This person was a Ubisoft director, and in context, he was comparing buying a game to how people are comfortable with not having real-life copies of movies and music that they buy online.

The main problem I have with this is the fact that the games they want you to buy are like.. 60 dollars and more, and the wording. The idea that we, as gamers, are giving up our hard-earned money for these games has to be done in a way that they dictate. Now there’s more to say about it, and it’s complex, but I don’t think you should have to wonder if you get to have the content you bought, no matter how you buy it. If you want to do it without your information being used in a study? Then that’s your right. Give an inch and they will take that mile. Game makers like Ubisoft will listen.