Steam SSA Question: Internet Proxies/VPNs

[fxds]

Does anyone know how or where to contact Valve with questions regarding the Steam Subscriber Agreement ("SSA")? The Steam Support site, whether accessed through the Steam client or a separate, stand alone web browser, does not include any category for ticket submission that would be even remotely applicable to this sort of question.

The question, for those interested, involves the use of Internet proxies or Virtual Private Networks ("VPNs") while accessing Steam and/or the multiplayer functions of Steam games (or in the terms used by the SSA, Subscriptions to Content and Services through Steam), but only in a way that does not make the user appear to located in a different legal jurisdiction.

Under Section 2(G), Restrictions on Use of Content and Services, the SSA includes the following:

Oprindeligt skrevet af Valve:

[...] you are not entitled to [...] emulate or redirect the communication protocols used by Valve in any network feature of the Content and Services, through protocol emulation, tunneling, modifying or adding components to the Content and Services, use of a utility program or any other techniques now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose including, but not limited to network play over the Internet, network play utilizing commercial or non-commercial gaming networks or as part of content aggregation networks, websites or services

I am not a lawyer, but I have an interested and educated layman's understand of the law and I have several decades of experience as an Information Technology professional, including designing, deploying, and managing networks. To the best of my understanding, that section of the SSA specifically prohibits the use of Internet proxies or VPNs. In fact, I believe a well reasoned and supported argument could be made that it even prohibits the use or Steam and Steam games from behind a network router or gateway that uses Network Address Translation ("NAT"), which includes effectively all home routers and gateways in use today.

Given that this language could provide legal reason for Valve to terminate the Steam Accounts of nearly all Subscribers under Section 9(C) of the SSA, it seems reasonable to request clarification from Valve regarding these terms of the SSA.

Please note that I am not accusing Valve of anything malicious. I have never heard of them banning anyone for simply using a VPN, and I cannot imagine them doing so for using NAT. But I still think this a reasonable question, particularly given the increasing number of people who are turning to the use of VPNs for various legitimate social or political reasons that are not directly related to Steam or to any of Valve's reasonable business interests (such as preventing the circumvention of geographically-based restrictions on the licensing of Subscribtions to Content and Services through Steam).

As far as I can find Valve has never made any public statement clarifying these terms of the SSA, outside of one other mention in Section 3(A) of the SSA itself, which prohibits the use of "IP proxying or other methods to disguise the place of your residence". I recognize that Valve has legitimate legal and business reasons for prohibiting such location shifting, which is why my question pertains explicitely to the use of VPNs (or even NAT) in a manner that does not change the user's apparent location of legal jurisdiction.

So, does anyone know how or where a question such as this can be submitted to Valve?

[Forcen]

They have a link for feedback at the very very bottom: http://store.steampowered.com/ssa_feedback/
The CEO has a public email also.

[Start_Running]

Actually there have been suspensions and warnings issued for VPNS. LOOk OP. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt here and assume you're just curious. Little tip:

If the legal contract says don't do it, don't do it. YOu know well enough to know what Valve means by their wording. So just don't do it. M'kay.

[fxds]

Edit: Oops, that was Forcen who provided the link. My mistake.

Original comment follows:

Oprindeligt skrevet af Start_Running:

Actually there have been suspensions and warnings issued for VPNS. LOOk OP. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt here and assume you're just curious. Little tip:

If the legal contract says don't do it, don't do it. YOu know well enough to know what Valve means by their wording. So just don't do it. M'kay.

Thank you for the link. I missed it, perhaps because the link text is "Privacy Feedback," which doesn't necessarily apply.

As for benefit of the doubt, I honestly don't care, but I have in fact never used a VPN when accessing Steam or any Steam games. I am however considering doing so because I do not want my ISP selling my traffic information, something which is becoming distressingly common among the major ISPs, at least in the US.

Additionally, as I said in my original post, the exact language of the SSA could in fact be construed to apply to NAT, which is in use by pretty much everyone who isn't accessing Steam from a corporate or school network. If I give you a "little tip" and tell you not to use NAT because Valve's SSA prohibits it, but your home ISP requires it if you have WIFI or more than one wired device, what are you going to do? Change your ISP or stop using Steam?

So no, I don't know what Valve means by their wording. It's technically vague and, as written, could easily apply to something that would put the vast majority of their users in violation of the SSA. So as I said, I don't think it's unreasonable to request that Valve clarify the terms.

[wuddih]

you took 2G compeltely out of context.
3A on the only relevancy regarding a use of VPN. don't change your country of residence with it and you are fine, period.
the usage of VPN sofware and services is not prohibited, as this would exclude everyone that goes to a more advanced education facility, works at a business that provides external networking .. Valve f.e.

[fxds]

Oprindeligt skrevet af wuddih:

you took 2G compeltely out of context.
3A on the only relevancy regarding a use of VPN. don't change your country of residence with it and you are fine, period.
the usage of VPN sofware and services is not prohibited, as this would exclude everyone that goes to a more advanced education facility, works at a business that provides external networking .. Valve f.e.

I'm afraid I must disagree. As someone with over thirty years of experience as an IT professional, I don't believe I've misread 2(G) at all. The use of a VPN, even one that does not make the user appear to be in a differnet location as defined in 3(A), clearly involves redirecting the communication protocols, via tunneling, which are used by the Subscriber to access Content and Services via Steam.

Yes, clearly that would put many users in techical violation of the SSA, as you point out. That's precisely why I'd like to seek clarification from Valve. As written, 2(G) is technically vague and could reasonably be read to put many, if not most, Steam Subscribers in technical violation and subject to Termination of their Accounts per 9(C).

[Start_Running]

Oprindeligt skrevet af fxds:

Oprindeligt skrevet af wuddih:

you took 2G compeltely out of context.
3A on the only relevancy regarding a use of VPN. don't change your country of residence with it and you are fine, period.
the usage of VPN sofware and services is not prohibited, as this would exclude everyone that goes to a more advanced education facility, works at a business that provides external networking .. Valve f.e.

I'm afraid I must disagree. As someone with over thirty years of experience as an IT professional, I don't believe I've misread 2(G) at all. The use of a VPN, even one that does not make the user appear to be in a differnet location as defined in 3(A), clearly involves redirecting the communication protocols, via tunneling, which are used by the Subscriber to access Content and Services via Steam.

Yes, clearly that would put many users in techical violation of the SSA, as you point out. That's precisely why I'd like to seek clarification from Valve. As written, 2(G) is technically vague and could reasonably be read to put many, if not most, Steam Subscribers in technical violation and subject to Termination of their Accounts per 9(C).

You're trying to seek a clarification Valve is not likely to give. There's a reason such terms are left fairly broad. IT's called future proofing. The more specific you are the easier you make it for people to skirt the rules.

You're smart enough to know what Valve is trying to enforce with this rule. If you don't cross that line you're fine.

[irrevenant]

Okay, my issue here is that I want to be able to play my own purchased games on my own computer while using my VPN. Steam requires that this be done through their client.

Are we saying that Steam will not allow me to use my own purchased games while my VPN is on? That seems insane.

[ReBoot]

If the VPN exot point is in another region, then you aren't allowed to do so. Either get a local exit point or play without a VPN.

[Start_Running]

Oprindeligt skrevet af irrevenant:

Okay, my issue here is that I want to be able to play my own purchased games on my own computer while using my VPN. Steam requires that this be done through their client.

Are we saying that Steam will not allow me to use my own purchased games while my VPN is on? That seems insane.

Same reason you're not allowed to wear a mask when getting id photo's taken.

[irrevenant]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Start_Running:

Same reason you're not allowed to wear a mask when getting id photo's taken.

Not really.

Am I really the only person who sees a problem with Steam banning you for playing the games you legitimately bought, verified and own because you're doing something else unrelated in the background on your PC?

I can understand Steam taking issue with using VPNs when purchasing games - that's a workaround for nation-specific restrictions (and would be analogous to wearing a mask during the photo ID stage). But why the lockdown on something that's already cleared?

[Start_Running]

Oprindeligt skrevet af irrevenant:

Oprindeligt skrevet af Start_Running:

Same reason you're not allowed to wear a mask when getting id photo's taken.

Not really.

Am I really the only person who sees a problem with Steam banning you for playing the games you legitimately bought, verified and own because you're doing something else unrelated in the background on your PC?

Those are the terms you agreed to when you created the account. Hard to have a problem with something you freely agreed to.

ou can always configure your VPN to not mask steam traffic.

I can understand Steam taking issue with using VPNs when purchasing games - that's a workaround for nation-specific restrictions (and would be analogous to wearing a mask during the photo ID stage). But why the lockdown on something that's already cleared?

Because the versions accessible to certain regions are not all the same. Also it can lead to less than optimal matchmaking which in turn affects the play experience for others.

Keep in mind Steam isn't going to be millitant about it. After all Steam can be accessed from any country as can any account , so long as you don't cause trouble they have no reason to look for reasons to take harsher penalties.

[ReBoot]

Now calm down for a sec. There aren't any known cases of Valve deleting an account for using a VPN. The worst there is that you can't buy any new games, but you still can play your old games. That's for payment fraud.

[Start_Running]

Oprindeligt skrevet af ReBoot:

Now calm down for a sec. There aren't any known cases of Valve deleting an account for using a VPN. The worst there is that you can't buy any new games, but you still can play your old games. That's for payment fraud.

There's always a first time. I mean there was a time when there were no known cases of ebola and then, it happened. The thing is, be aware of the rules you're flaunting, ask yourself is it worth the risk and if you do , make sure you don't cause any trouble.

If you're driving with an expoired license. have the sense to not swereve madly, speed or drive drunk.

[irrevenant]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Start_Running:

You can always configure your VPN to not mask steam traffic.

That sounds like the perfect solution, I didn't know you could do that! How do you go about doing it? I'm using OpenVPN.

[Start_Running]

Oprindeligt skrevet af irrevenant:

Oprindeligt skrevet af Start_Running:

You can always configure your VPN to not mask steam traffic.

That sounds like the perfect solution, I didn't know you could do that! How do you go about doing it? I'm using OpenVPN.

Not sure. but you could ask on the OpenVpn forums. Not all VPN software and services are equal so some might have it and some won't. Either way the place to ask is the forums.