Steam data retention / privacy policy.

[Hirate Yurina]

What is Valve's stance on data retention on this platform? I can't for the life of me find any concrete info on things like how long they store chat logs, associated phone numbers / e-mails etc. I know the privacy policy basically states "eff you, your data is our data once it enters our system" but I'm still curious as to what the actual situation is.
All in all I feel like Steam could really do with some more privacy options and possibly end to end encryption for the chat or at least a more clearly laid out privacy policy.

Anyone got any concrete articles regarding this? Opinions?

[Start_Running]

No one outside of VAlve would know their polic. Just like any other business. How long they archive records for is a matter of their own internal policy, policy that can be subject to change from time to time.

In otherwords. You'll never know, and they'll likely never say.

[Brujeira]

The thing is that, on the whole, you’re not going to find that information in any Valve policy. Those articles need to written in legalese and as such all they’ll tell you is to look in the law books for the answers.

I’d suggest that you go digging through the law - finding the answer yourself is going to be quicker than getting Valve to answer any question about anything to be honest.

[Nx Machina]

https://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/

Read: 6. Your Rights and Control Mechanisms


Click the link: https://help.steampowered.com/en/

Select > My Account > Data Related to Your Steam Account

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

For proof of ownership purposes, your 1st email, number, CC, basically anything used on your account is stored indefinitely.

[Hirate Yurina]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Kusa:

https://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/

Read: 6. Your Rights and Control Mechanisms


Click the link: https://help.steampowered.com/en/

Select > My Account > Data Related to Your Steam Account

This is all so very vague it hurts to read. Is there some buried option that allows me to request erasure or erase this data myself or is this all basically telling you to e-mail Steam and hope for aan actual human to reply to you in 2 months time?

[( ( < < <🤖> > > ) )]

In Australia, it became mandatory in April 2017 for Australian ISPs and telecommunication companies to collect and store “metadata” about their customers' communications for a minimum of two years...

what is privacy these days...

i dont know why steam would keep anything other
than financial transactions longer than 2 years unless it had some extra interest...

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

All transactions are also held indefinitely.

[Hirate Yurina]

Diposting pertama kali oleh cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

For proof of ownership purposes, your 1st email, number, CC, basically anything used on your account is stored indefinitely.

:qr:

I somehow fail to see how my entire chat log history, purchase history, group history etc. is considered "proof of ownership".
Hell, they even have my device names history for years back. How is this acceptable?

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Diposting pertama kali oleh K-czynski:

Diposting pertama kali oleh cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

For proof of ownership purposes, your 1st email, number, CC, basically anything used on your account is stored indefinitely.

I somehow fail to see how my entire chat log history, purchase history, group history etc. is considered "proof of ownership".

Did I say chat or group? Or did I specify anything "used" on your account?

Diposting pertama kali oleh K-czynski:

Hell, they even have my device names history for years back. How is this acceptable?

That falls under anything "used."

[Crazy Tiger]

Diposting pertama kali oleh K-czynski:

Diposting pertama kali oleh cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

For proof of ownership purposes, your 1st email, number, CC, basically anything used on your account is stored indefinitely.

I somehow fail to see how my entire chat log history, purchase history, group history etc. is considered "proof of ownership".

Purchase history is understandable, transactions can be used for that. The rest, no, should be deletable.

[Brujeira]

Diposting pertama kali oleh K-czynski:

Diposting pertama kali oleh cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

For proof of ownership purposes, your 1st email, number, CC, basically anything used on your account is stored indefinitely.

:qr:

I somehow fail to see how my entire chat log history, purchase history, group history etc. is considered "proof of ownership".

That’s not what he meant. Anything involved in setting up the account or making purchases is stored indefinitely.

[Hirate Yurina]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Crazy Tiger:

Diposting pertama kali oleh K-czynski:

I somehow fail to see how my entire chat log history, purchase history, group history etc. is considered "proof of ownership".

Purchase history is understandable, transactions can be used for that. The rest, no, should be deletable.

The ones that really stand out to me the most are chat logs and especially the device name history. This is borderline spyware.

[Crazy Tiger]

Diposting pertama kali oleh K-czynski:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Crazy Tiger:

Purchase history is understandable, transactions can be used for that. The rest, no, should be deletable.

The ones that really stand out to me the most are chat logs and especially the device name history. This is borderline spyware.

I think you'd be surprised how many programs on your computer programs you use and websites you visit will log the device name(s). That happens for quick and easy access.

[Hirate Yurina]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Crazy Tiger:

Diposting pertama kali oleh K-czynski:

The ones that really stand out to me the most are chat logs and especially the device name history. This is borderline spyware.

I think you'd be surprised how many programs on your computer and how many websites you visit will log the device names. That happens for quick and easy access.

Well, yeah, an app you install on your system (which you can firewall and prevent any calling home anyway) willl easily see the device name - that's not an issue. What you said about websites is baloney, though. A quick fingerprinting test shows that my browser only leaves my resolution and Windows version, no device name anywhere. This is default Firefox with no fingerprinting protections or extensions.
The problem isn't with the fact that it can READ the device name, it's that it stores them for months at the very least.

On the bright side, I logged in to an old account of mine and it doesn't seem to retain any chat logs at least. Whether that's due to them eventually deleting them or just the accounts last usage pre-dating the implementation of the logs remains to be seen, though.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Diposting pertama kali oleh K-czynski:

The problem isn't with the fact that it can READ the device name, it's that it stores them for months at the very least.

On the bright side, I logged in to an old account of mine and it doesn't seem to retain any chat logs at least. Whether that's due to them eventually deleting them or just the accounts last usage pre-dating the implementation of the logs remains to be seen, though.

Device names are stored indefinitely.

As for chat, it stores 2 weeks worth of chats as described here...

CHAT HISTORY

• Can now scroll back to load up to two weeks of chat history
  
• Group chats also keep up to two weeks of chat history
  
• Improved display of timestamps, which are now always enabled

https://steamcommunity.com/updates/chatupdate

And it is also storing 2 weeks worth here...

https://help.steampowered.com/en/accountdata/GetFriendMessagesLog