Don't freak out from VPN

[kon_ivan]

Every time I switch a VPN server the steam freaks out and closes all my games and asks for a password. Besides the fact that VPN is a norm nowadays I live in a very restricted country and without VPN internet is not accessible. Please make it work with VPN

[Cathulhu]

It does work. Asking for your password is a security feature in case your account got hijacked.

[nullable]

It does work with a VPN. Asking you to re-authenticate when you're doing something that may invalidate your current session is appropriate.

[Ettanin]

Note that masking your country of origin is a violation of the Steam Subscriber Agreement. This behaviour is intentional.

[Radene]

Publicado originalmente por Ettanin:

Note that masking your country of origin is a violation of the Steam Subscriber Agreement. This behaviour is intentional.

That has nothing to do with it. Region-hopping isn't the only use for a VPN.

[Sazzouu]

Publicado originalmente por Radene:

That has nothing to do with it. Region-hopping isn't the only use for a VPN.

You agree that you will not use IP proxying or other methods to disguise the place of your residence for [...], or for any other purpose. If you do this, Valve may terminate your access to your Account.

Source: https://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/english/#3

While you are correct Valve still reserves their right to terminate you account for literally any usage of a VPN.

PS: of course the usage of a VPN to for example mimic your home network while being mobile is something that most likely won't get your account terminated because who and how would they ever proof that you did use a VPN for that besides breaking a bunch of laws themselves. But still officially they could terminate your account even for that.

[Sazzouu]

Publicado originalmente por kon_ivan:

Besides the fact that VPN is a norm

What "norm" are you actually talking about? For a private user VPN is anything but a "norm". Maybe for the bare minimum of people having more than one residence and they want to combine their networks. But the average private user hasn't even heared of that term "VPN".

[Zekiran]

Using a VPN to avoid your area's restrictions is exactly the kind of thing covered by Valve's 'any use' clause up there.

[Satoru]

Publicado originalmente por Sazzouu:

Publicado originalmente por kon_ivan:

Besides the fact that VPN is a norm

What "norm" are you actually talking about? For a private user VPN is anything but a "norm". Maybe for the bare minimum of people having more than one residence and they want to combine their networks. But the average private user hasn't even heared of that term "VPN".

Most people using VPNs do not know how they work and thus think they are 'magic' things that do not do the things they think they do. VPNs are literally the modern day "computer performance booster" snake oil

[Darren]

Publicado originalmente por Epyc Wynn:

:PlusOneClick:

Very bigoted of people to insist users from other countries should have a worse time just because they have to use a VPN in order to play games.

I want Steam to sensibly lower barriers to using a VPN to the degree it is fair to VPN users, without risking abuse of this lowered security. I am sure a Steam dev reading this thread figure out the right balance to this.

Steam is required by law to do certain things in certain countries. This is part of the reason for regional restrictions on some games. They can't allow a VPN to be used for such a purpose because it would make them liable. As long as they make it clear that VPNs are against their terms of service especially when used to disguise geographic region and have appropriate controls in place to monitor this they aren't liable if someone does happen to find a VPN that will let them change their reason and use it in a way that Steam is unable to tell that they were using a VPN.

Given the rules are enforced by the governments of those countries if these people do not want a worse experience they should pressure their government to adjust the rules.

[Zekiran]

The 'bigots' would be 'your local government'. Go out and vote.

[About47Pandas]

Technically as per the Steam Sub Agreement, they say:

You agree that you will not use IP proxying or other methods to disguise the place of your residence, whether to circumvent geographical restrictions on game content, to purchase at pricing not applicable to your geography, or for any other purpose. If you do this, Valve may terminate your access to your Account.

So you are breaking that agreement by using a VPN.
Dunno if you should talk about you doing this on steam.

[Megatron]

Publicado originalmente por About47Pandas:

Technically as per the Steam Sub Agreement, they say:

You agree that you will not use IP proxying or other methods to disguise the place of your residence, whether to circumvent geographical restrictions on game content, to purchase at pricing not applicable to your geography, or for any other purpose. If you do this, Valve may terminate your access to your Account.

So you are breaking that agreement by using a VPN.
Dunno if you should talk about you doing this on steam.

You're at risk of losing your Steam account by using a VPN so the cat is out of the bag.

[Judgmental Amaterasu]

Publicado originalmente por Epyc Wynn:

:PlusOneClick:

Very bigoted of people to insist users from other countries should have a worse time just because they have to use a VPN in order to play games.

I want Steam to sensibly lower barriers to using a VPN to the degree it is fair to VPN users, without risking abuse of this lowered security. I am sure a Steam dev reading this thread figure out the right balance to this.

Except Steam will literally do nothing unless a VPN is used to circumvent region locking or pricing.

[Crashed]

Publicado originalmente por Radene:

Publicado originalmente por Ettanin:

Note that masking your country of origin is a violation of the Steam Subscriber Agreement. This behaviour is intentional.

That has nothing to do with it. Region-hopping isn't the only use for a VPN.

It's one of the advertised feature. Another feature advertised is P2P friendly, basically a dogwhistle for piracy.

[About47Pandas]

Publicado originalmente por Damp Wizard Sleeve:

Publicado originalmente por Epyc Wynn:

:PlusOneClick:

Very bigoted of people to insist users from other countries should have a worse time just because they have to use a VPN in order to play games.

I want Steam to sensibly lower barriers to using a VPN to the degree it is fair to VPN users, without risking abuse of this lowered security. I am sure a Steam dev reading this thread figure out the right balance to this.

Except Steam will literally do nothing unless a VPN is used to circumvent region locking or pricing.

Thats fine? I am not discussing when they would act-- I am discussing the agreement.