Accused of being Spyware

[SirClarke]

There are claims of being Spyware is that any truth to this and if so i'd like my Money back
i would not have bought in to this great game had i known the company behind it felt it was ok to possibly destroy people's lives by selling there personal information i know the Company most likely does not care at all and i'm wasting my time here but it has to be said.

[LoSBoL]

It's just people who can't grasp or are unwillingly to read the privacy policy making unfounded claims, the first person to proof there is spyware in KSP is yet to stand up and come with evidence. Which is not going to happen, because all network activity has been proved by many over and over that there is no personal information collected.

Look at the reviews, and ask yourself as to why 9 out of 10 negative reviewers deny comments. Those reviewers are ignorant and don't want to be confronted with the evidence that there is no spyware collection of personal data at all.

[SirClarke]

I hope that is the case thank you for taking the time to make this comment but why do you list yourself as private could that not be misconstrued as the same thing? you dont show yourself as someone welling to back up what your saying please dont take this as an attack i'm simply trying to find as much info as i can to base my decision.

[ravenous beast]

The game's EULA allows Take-Two Interactive to harvest and sell your data. So yes, this game does technically meet the requirements to be spyware. However, this is an industry standard practice with Discord, Skype, Steam, Spotify, Reddit, Facebook (etc) all doing the same thing. If you use any one of those services, you might as well, because your data has already been harvested and sold.

[SirClarke]

I see your point Dog thanks for your time

[LoSBoL]

Originally posted by SirClarke:

I hope that is the case thank you for taking the time to make this comment

You're welcome, I can understand the concerns, the legalese Eula and privacy policy is hard to understand for people not used to reading legal talk. It's mostly wrong interpretations and reading snippets taken out of context and people just parroting that without taking the time to thoroughly investigate by themselves. It's sad to see, but it's how the world seems to work these days.

The day that what everybody seems to say would become reality, that would be the day the community really will take down this game, and rightly so.
But that won't happen, there are hawkeyes on Take 2, and they know better then to do so because there is no hiding this 'stuff' from us.

[hbk314]

Originally posted by dog:

The game's EULA allows Take-Two Interactive to harvest and sell your data. So yes, this game does technically meet the requirements to be spyware. However, this is an industry standard practice with Discord, Skype, Steam, Spotify, Reddit, Facebook (etc) all doing the same thing. If you use any one of those services, you might as well, because your data has already been harvested and sold.

I'm guessing the reason for your misunderstanding is that you only read the EULA. The EULA is pretty broad while the privacy policy, which is frequently referenced in and in fact governs the EULA, goes into the details.

Take2's privacy policy doesn't allow personal information to be collected by the game. Nothing collected by the game is personal information. Take2's privacy policy doesn't allow data to be sold, and it only allows personal information to be shared in a very limited set of circumstances, such as a court order. The privacy policy also lists what data may be collected by the game (essentially computer hardware information). Again, no personal information may be collected by the game.

I'm not sure what percentage of the "KSP is spyware" claims comes from ignorance and what percentage comes from people deliberately trying to mislead others. One thing is clear though: the facts completely contradict those claims. Those claims are totally false.

Here's the Take2 privacy policy so people can look for themselves:
https://www.take2games.com/privacy/#3

[SirClarke]

Thanks for give out some Info to back up what your saying HbK

[ravenous beast]

Originally posted by hbk314:

Originally posted by dog:

The game's EULA allows Take-Two Interactive to harvest and sell your data. So yes, this game does technically meet the requirements to be spyware. However, this is an industry standard practice with Discord, Skype, Steam, Spotify, Reddit, Facebook (etc) all doing the same thing. If you use any one of those services, you might as well, because your data has already been harvested and sold.

I'm guessing the reason for your misunderstanding is that you only read the EULA. The EULA is pretty broad while the privacy policy, which is frequently referenced in and in fact governs the EULA, goes into the details.

Take2's privacy policy doesn't allow personal information to be collected by the game. Nothing collected by the game is personal information. Take2's privacy policy doesn't allow data to be sold, and it only allows personal information to be shared in a very limited set of circumstances, such as a court order. The privacy policy also lists what data may be collected by the game (essentially computer hardware information). Again, no personal information may be collected by the game.

I'm not sure what percentage of the "KSP is spyware" claims comes from ignorance and what percentage comes from people deliberately trying to mislead others. One thing is clear though: the facts completely contradict those claims. Those claims are totally false.

Here's the Take2 privacy policy so people can look for themselves:
https://www.take2games.com/privacy/#3

I find it rather odd that a private profile (yours) has been defending Take-2 so vigorously. Are you a Take-2 employee?

Take-2's Privacy Policy means absolutely nothing with regards to KSP. The privacy policy with regards to KSP says, and I quote:

"In exchange for use of the Software, and to the extent that your contributions through use of the Software give rise to any copyright interest, you hereby grant Licensor an exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, fully transferable, and sub-licensable worldwide right and license to use your contributions in any way and for any purpose in connection with the Software and related goods and services, including, but not limited to, the rights to reproduce, copy, adapt, modify, perform, display, publish, broadcast, transmit, or otherwise communicate to the public by any means whether now known or unknown and distribute your contributions without any further notice or compensation to you of any kind for the whole duration of protection granted to intellectual property rights by applicable laws and international conventions. You hereby waive and agree never to assert any moral rights of paternity, publication, reputation, or attribution with respect to Licensor's and other players' use and enjoyment of such assets in connection with the Software and related goods and services under applicable law. This license grant to Licensor, and terms above regarding any applicable moral rights, will survive any termination of this Agreement."

This means that any content related to KSP or using KSP content legally belongs to Take-2. They can make money off it without asking you and can sell your content to other people without asking you and without paying you royalties.

Additionally, their Privacy Policy does state that at the moment (It can be changed at any time, and with no requirement for agreement or notification to yourself, it does state this, which is alarming:

"In addition, your personal and other information may be disclosed to a potential or actual successor or assign in connection with a proposed or consummated merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or other similar event involving all or a portion of the Company, the Company's customer information may be transferred to our successor or assign."

This means that if anything happens to Take-2, such as a merger, or bankruptcy (Not unheard of - remember THQ?), a third party organization will obtain access to your data and at that point they will effectively own it.

ADDITIONALLY - and this is the scariest part of all - EULAs and Privacy Policies are not legally binding. They can do whatever they like with your data and, as long as it fits with wider privacy laws, it would be completely legal. They wouldn't even need to tell you.

TL;DR - Stay away!

[Chibbity]

dog = Tinfoil hat wearing neck beard with exactly 2.0 hours of KSP played, so he could leave a negative review. (His one screenshot also includes MechJeb, so we can assume he knows jack all about actually playing the game.) He has 18 hours in BattleTech and his review accuses the Dev's of being "SJW's pushing the trans agenda" which is hilarious. Having played the game far longer than that, I haven't even seen a single trans character. (Not that I'd care.) He's obviously just a drama seeking attention leech.

TL;DR - Ignore him!

@hbk314: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Because horses are stupid. Good on you for trying though.

[fauxpas]

I can't speak for other people, but my profile is private because I think people going through my profile is both creepy and completely irrelevant to any argument I might make. ... You know I own the game because of the icon next to my name and that is all you're getting.

[Chibbity]

Originally posted by fauxpas:

I can't speak for other people, but my profile is private because I think people going through my profile is both creepy and completely irrelevant to any argument I might make. ... You know I own the game because of the icon next to my name and that is all you're getting.

Yes, lol; I hope he sees the irony in me picking apart his profile.

[hbk314]

Originally posted by dog:

I find it rather odd that a private profile (yours) has been defending Take-2 so vigorously. Are you a Take-2 employee?

Friends-only, and no, I'm not. Winning easy arguments is a way to pass the time, although talking to someone as close-minded as you can be frustrating if I take it too seriously.

Originally posted by dog:

Take-2's Privacy Policy means absolutely nothing with regards to KSP.

There's really no reason for me to read beyond this point. It really demonstrates that you have no idea what you're talking about. Everyone complains about the EULA, but the vast majority of those people don't realize you can't look at the EULA without looking at the privacy policy as well.

Originally posted by dog:

The privacy policy with regards to KSP says, and I quote:

"In exchange for use of the Software, and to the extent that your contributions through use of the Software give rise to any copyright interest, you hereby grant Licensor an exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, fully transferable, and sub-licensable worldwide right and license to use your contributions in any way and for any purpose in connection with the Software and related goods and services, including, but not limited to, the rights to reproduce, copy, adapt, modify, perform, display, publish, broadcast, transmit, or otherwise communicate to the public by any means whether now known or unknown and distribute your contributions without any further notice or compensation to you of any kind for the whole duration of protection granted to intellectual property rights by applicable laws and international conventions. You hereby waive and agree never to assert any moral rights of paternity, publication, reputation, or attribution with respect to Licensor's and other players' use and enjoyment of such assets in connection with the Software and related goods and services under applicable law. This license grant to Licensor, and terms above regarding any applicable moral rights, will survive any termination of this Agreement."

This means that any content related to KSP or using KSP content legally belongs to Take-2. They can make money off it without asking you and can sell your content to other people without asking you and without paying you royalties.

That would applies to things like screenshots. That would not apply to things like mods, as those aren't produced in-game.

Originally posted by dog:

Additionally, their Privacy Policy does state that at the moment (It can be changed at any time, and with no requirement for agreement or notification to yourself, it does state this, which is alarming:

"In addition, your personal and other information may be disclosed to a potential or actual successor or assign in connection with a proposed or consummated merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or other similar event involving all or a portion of the Company, the Company's customer information may be transferred to our successor or assign."

This means that if anything happens to Take-2, such as a merger, or bankruptcy (Not unheard of - remember THQ?), a third party organization will obtain access to your data and at that point they will effectively own it.

How is that alarming? It happened when Take2 acquired KSP. If one company buy another company, obviously they're going to get the company's assets as well. It's ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

Originally posted by dog:

ADDITIONALLY - and this is the scariest part of all - EULAs and Privacy Policies are not legally binding. They can do whatever they like with your data and, as long as it fits with wider privacy laws, it would be completely legal. They wouldn't even need to tell you.

TL;DR - Stay away!

If that were actually happening or stood a chance of ever happening, you might have a point. Take2 is a publicly traded company. There's zero chance of this actually happening. Take off the tin foil hat.

[inthedark]

Firewall it.

[SirClarke]

All right guys/girls was hoping to get some real info but if you just going to fight thanks for your time but i'm going to have to end it Have a good one

[fauxpas]

Originally posted by SirClarke:

All right guys/girls was hoping to get some real info but if you just going to fight thanks for your time but i'm going to have to end it Have a good one

Did you seriously not take the two seconds to see that eula threads always devolve into fighting?