Friend Activity on Private Profiles is still visible

[Mattimus Prime]

Why is it that even if you set your profile to private and even if you Block someone on your friends list, then that blocked person can still see all your playing activity on http://store.steampowered.com/recommended/friendactivity ?

This also happens on the Store Page of every single game you own or have wishlisted. Something is obviously not working here and yes, I am aware of the countless Private Profile/Privacy discussions here about the "why" and "what for" someone might want something like that.

Any ideas?

[Spiff]

I hope this thread's topic is addressed.

[Matt]

Generally speaking, a private profile does not mean uploaded content is private.

Now I don't know about the "even if you block." Maybe try unfriending the person then clocking.

[Mattimus Prime]

How is the amount of hours I played a game considered "uploaded content'? If I upload a screenshot and set it to private, then it is private and only I can see it. If I unlock an achievement while my profile is set to private, then it is private and no one can see it.

But, somehow if any of my friends go to Friend Activity then they can see all my LIFETIME amount of how many hours of every single game I've played!

This happens if the profile is set to any setting (Public, Friends of Friends, Friends or Private) which makes no sense at all. If a profile is private, then all info on it should be visible only to it's owner (plus Moderators of course). Frustatingly, this also happens even if you Block someone on your friends list.

Unfriending someone defeats the purpose of the discussion or I would every unfriend anyone I'd want.

[Τhe Rolling Cheese Wheel]

You blocked your friend and set your profile to private... just go ahead and clear out your entire friend list if you're not going to be using the community features anymore. Pointless for Valve to create a feature to counter a feature.

[Mattimus Prime]

Well I just like to have my profile Private. I haven't blocked anyone on my friends list, but I have tried it with another friend and it is as stated above. I'm only saying that even blocking is not working as is supposed to be working.

[Caffeinated]

Originally posted by Mattimus Prime:

Well I just like to have my profile Private. I haven't blocked anyone on my friends list, but I have tried it with another friend and it is as stated above. I'm only saying that even blocking is not working as is supposed to be working.

It's amazing the number of people who believe that because they don't care about certain aspects of their online privacy, neither should you. It's pervasive among these threads, and an attitude easily dismissed.

The worst one that I've run across, for my tastes, is the giving away your e-mail address when you buy a gift for someone. Buying a gift for someone sends an e-mail to them with the e-mail address associated with your Steam account listed in the message body.

The main point for me is that being a friend online does not mean necessarily being a friend in real life. I don't know the real life names of people I've played games with for years. I don't ask, they don't tell, and it goes both ways.

[Fath]

Two years on, and this still appears to be a problem. Friends of accounts set to Private can still see account's lifetime gaming history and playtimes, as well as full wishlist, through http://store.steampowered.com/recommended/friendactivity/.

If this is what Valve thinks of privacy, I'd hate to see what they think of publicity.

[Mattimus Prime]

bump

[Start_Running]

TYhanks for bumping. Id didn't even know about this handy feature. Oh yeah, BYW. Any data collected/generated through your usage of the steam client is considered uploaded information.

As stated by the SSA and TOS you explicitly signed and agreed to when you created your steam account, you grant steam to make use of this information for purposes relating to but not limited to:

Promotions, Sales, and marketing.

I e they can use the data they collect on you to sell the game to someone else.

[Fath]

You seem to be trying to pick a fight where none needs to be picked, Running. But looking over Steam's privacy policy at your suggestion did cause me to notice the tiny "Privacy Feedback" link tucked into it, so thank you in turn for helping suggest a way to contact Valve directly about this.

http://store.steampowered.com/ssa_feedback/

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by Fath:

You seem to be trying to pick a fight where none needs to be picked, Running. But looking over Steam's privacy policy at your suggestion did cause me to notice the tiny "Privacy Feedback" link tucked into it, so thank you in turn for helping suggest a way to contact Valve directly about this.

http://store.steampowered.com/ssa_feedback/

That's actually related to the new privacy mandates between the sharing of sensitive personal information between EU states and the US. So yeah, kinda barking up the wrong tree there. Your activitity feed, as defined by eu and us law are not deemed private.

[Matt]

A private profile just means the profile page itself is private. It doesn't mean the content on the profile is private. For example, someone can have a private profile, but their forum posts, comments, and artwork uploads may all be public.

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by 󠀠:

Originally posted by Matt:

A private profile just means the profile page itself is private. It doesn't mean the content on the profile is private. For example, someone can have a private profile, but their forum posts, comments, and artwork uploads may all be public.

Where is that explained? http://i.imgur.com/lmePBjR.png

I totally get forum posts, artwork, screenshots, comments on such uploads may all be public

http://store.steampowered.com/recommended/friendactivity/ But showing this of private profiles to friends for the sake of advertisement, no, I don't get.

Private as said, only prevents your profile page from being seen. YOur profile isn't the source of that data. just a convenient container. In short your play time isn't something you upload, it's valve's observation of how you're using the client. Which is covered in the SSA

[username12121]

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Originally posted by Fath:

You seem to be trying to pick a fight where none needs to be picked, Running. But looking over Steam's privacy policy at your suggestion did cause me to notice the tiny "Privacy Feedback" link tucked into it, so thank you in turn for helping suggest a way to contact Valve directly about this.

http://store.steampowered.com/ssa_feedback/

That's actually related to the new privacy mandates between the sharing of sensitive personal information between EU states and the US. So yeah, kinda barking up the wrong tree there.

Could you explain that any further? Is that outlined somewhere in the SSA (sorry, I didn't read it ...was waiting till it came out on video.) Where you use the word "mandates" do you mean this is a feature Valve were asked to include by law?

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Your activitity feed, as defined by eu and us law are not deemed private.

Nevertheless, things which are deemed acceptable by law don't always coincide with things deemed acceptable by public and private opinion, so would you agree that it's a fairly valid thing for customers to express their objections to companies who choose to take advantage of such laws?

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by username12121:

Originally posted by Start_Running:

That's actually related to the new privacy mandates between the sharing of sensitive personal information between EU states and the US. So yeah, kinda barking up the wrong tree there.

Could you explain that any further? Is that outlined somewhere in the SSA (sorry, I didn't read it ...was waiting till it came out on video.) Where you use the word "mandates" do you mean this is a feature Valve were asked to include by law?

Yeah, there was an update and two news posts on steam about that in the last month.

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Your activitity feed, as defined by eu and us law are not deemed private.

Nevertheless, things which are deemed acceptable by law don't always coincide with things deemed acceptable by public and private opinion, so would you agree that it's a fairly valid thing for customers to express their objections to companies who choose to take advantage of such laws?

You were informed of this when you created your steam account. The time to object would have been then, by not creating an account.. COmplaining now, kinda just sounds.. hollow. It's like complaining that the food at a buffet was poor wuality, after you've scarfed 5 helpings..

Heck you still have the option of opting out. Just stop using the steam service..

If you want to control who sees this sort of thing. control who you keep on your friends liust. ONly add the people you feel comfortable sharing such info with.

IU'll be honest, I didn't even know that feature existed before this thread., wagering a lot of others didn't either, because most people, aren't hung up on these things.