Steam's new privacy settings and new EU law (GDPR)

[Nachtrae]

Starting on May 25th a new EU law will start to be enforced (after being adopted back in 2016 and given a 2 year adaptaion period) called the General Data Protection Regulation (or GDPR). Any company dealing with EU customers will have to comply with this law or be at risk of being fined an amount of up to 4% of their annual global turnover.

This law is in regards to protecting personal data which is, according to the EU commission: "personal data is any information relating to an individual, whether it relates to his or her private, professional or public life. It can be anything from a name, a home address, a photo, an email address, bank details, posts on social networking websites, medical information, or a computer’s IP address." Yes, this also includes your game-library, hours played, and your earned achievements. Under GDPR Valve cannot just show people your library unless you have given them specific permission to use your data to display your library. Hence the new privacy settings.

For more information, here's the GDPR wiki[en.wikipedia.org]
And the GDPR website[www.eugdpr.org]

It is a shame for the third-party websites that gave many of us valuable information, but at the end of the day their scripts were data-mining scripts. I am certain someone will come up with a clever way to bring us the information people thought useful regardless of these changes.

As for why the changes are globally implemented: Let's be honest it's easiest to maintain a single platform rather than break it up into tiny pieces.

[Crashed]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Gekkibi:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Eisberg:

...and then since you can easily remove it as well it would follow the law.

Except if the comment is in a locked thread. If this wouldn't cause any issues we would technically be able to purge our posting history.

I noticed that too; I cannot delete posts from locked threads without getting a moderator to help me out, that is, assuming the moderator is willing to help.

[gran]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Gekkibi:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

Reasoned many times. Read again.

Oh, believe me, I did read the comments you've made. Especially liked that slippery slope with nicknames.

Still, expect more hackusations and less socialising = bad for the community. Any way, I'll wait for Valve to respond. I'll will give them the benefit of the doubt that they will sort their **** out. Both with this and their new CSGO trading update. I'm getting too old to game any way I guess. So in the long run it won't effect me.

[Gekkibi]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Gekkibi:

Oh, believe me, I did read the comments you've made. Especially liked that slippery slope with nicknames.

Still, expect more hackusations and less socialising = bad for the community. Any way, I'll wait for Valve to respond. I'll will give them the benefit of the doubt that they will sort their **** out. Both with this and their new CSGO trading update. I'm getting too old to game any way I guess. So in the long run it won't effect me.

If not being able to see someone's game library, achievements and playtimes increase hacking/cheating accusations then people should do what they should have done before: ignore baseless accusations because the one making the claim has the burden of proof. Not being able to check someone's game library, achievements or playtimes won't prevent you for socialising with them. Maybe you can't see which games they have, but starting a conversation with that kind of information is like starting it with a "nice weather".

If it won't affect you on the long run then you probably shouldn't have to worry about this so much.

[gran]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Gekkibi:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

Still, expect more hackusations and less socialising = bad for the community. Any way, I'll wait for Valve to respond. I'll will give them the benefit of the doubt that they will sort their **** out. Both with this and their new CSGO trading update. I'm getting too old to game any way I guess. So in the long run it won't effect me.

If not being able to see someone's game library, achievements and playtimes increase hacking/cheating accusations then people should do what they should have done before: ignore baseless accusations because the one making the claim has the burden of proof. Not being able to check someone's game library, achievements or playtimes won't prevent you for socialising with them. Maybe you can't see which games they have, but starting a conversation with that kind of information is like starting it with a "nice weather".

If it won't affect you on the long run then you probably shouldn't have to worry about this so much.

Yeah everyone who leaves shouldn't worry about the things that make them leave. Nice logic. And I never said socialising would go extinct, just decline. So I'm not sure why you would write that. Also, I guess it's pointless discussing competetive games with you since you probably doesn't play any. Oh wait, I can't really see that. So I have to guess if I'm talking to a wall or not. Now I not only have to dismiss people with private profiles, but all regular users too. Thanks Gaben.

[Miraglyth]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Tito Shivan:

If microsoft decided tomorrow that every Windows user can decide to make their internet browsing history public...

Your choice of example actually makes the case for the opposite argument here.

The key difference is that it is an example about something not already public, as our games displays have been for 14 years - and arguably with our permission.

To reiterate, Steam privacy settings have always existed. In post-change terms, the old overall profile setting was "Profile and games" and users who set that to public were saying "I want my profile to be public and I want my games to be public".

Steam have added a new granular setting and in changing the default have disrepected the user's previous setting even though the option still exists.

My assertion is that if there is anyone out there who wanted a public profile but were not comfortable with having a public games list, prior to the change they would have already set their profile to private to keep their games list hidden. So changing the default won't help them. It's just a nuisance for the rest of us.

Moreover, to repeat my last post, what would have been the problem with sending a push notification to all users on their next login to explain to them what had happened?

[Gekkibi]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Gekkibi:

If not being able to see someone's game library, achievements and playtimes increase hacking/cheating accusations then people should do what they should have done before: ignore baseless accusations because the one making the claim has the burden of proof. Not being able to check someone's game library, achievements or playtimes won't prevent you for socialising with them. Maybe you can't see which games they have, but starting a conversation with that kind of information is like starting it with a "nice weather".

If it won't affect you on the long run then you probably shouldn't have to worry about this so much.

Yeah everyone who leaves shouldn't worry about the things that make them leave. Nice logic.

Misrepresentation. I said "shouldn't have to worry about this so much". You sound that you're very passionate about this.

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

And I never said socialising would go extinct, just decline. So I'm not sure why you would write that.

Neither did I claim that.

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

Also, I guess it's pointless discussing competetive games with you since you probably doesn't play any. Oh wait, I can't really see that. So I have to guess if I'm talking to a wall or not.

Hey, shouldn't you be socializing with me instead of just checking an inanimate profile page. Talk to me, and I shall talk back to you. Oh the sweet, sweet irony...

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

Now I not only have to dismiss people with private profiles, but all regular users too. Thanks Gaben.

Here your passion about this is showing up again. If it won't affect you on the long run then you probably shouldn't have to worry about this so much...

[Smir]

steam games doesn't need to be hidden, its pathetic, yet they allow my full name and friend list to be public...

did anyone actually ask for this...

good bye steamspy.

[Gekkibi]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Smir:

steam games doesn't need to be hidden, its pathetic

Not an argument, that's an opinion.

Początkowo opublikowane przez Smir:

yet they allow my full name and friend list to be public...

Full name is optional, you don't have to put anything to the field if you don't want to. Not being able to set friend's list private, tho, a completely valid point.

Początkowo opublikowane przez Smir:

did anyone actually ask for this...

Yes, there have been people asking for this. For years.

Początkowo opublikowane przez Smir:

good bye steamspy.

Good riddance, 3rd party data-mining site (oh and FYI, nothing is preventing it from working. It just has to extrapolate a little bit more because the sample size is smaller right now).

[Crashed]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Gekkibi:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Smir:

good bye steamspy.

Good riddance, 3rd party data-mining site (oh and FYI, nothing is preventing it from working. It just has to extrapolate a little bit more because the sample size is smaller right now).

Wonder if less bots will mean faster service?

[Gekkibi]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Crashed:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Gekkibi:

Good riddance, 3rd party data-mining site (oh and FYI, nothing is preventing it from working. It just has to extrapolate a little bit more because the sample size is smaller right now).

Wonder if less bots will mean faster service?

Naaw, can't be, because that would be against the prominent-youtuber-coalition narrative... /s

[Miraglyth]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Gekkibi:

oh and FYI, nothing is preventing [Steam Spy] from working. It just has to extrapolate a little bit more because the sample size is smaller right now

It's not just that; if the only people who can be polled are those who have manually set their libraries to be viewable after April 12th 2018, a massive bias is introduced that would heavily favour newer games (since more of the owners of older games will be inactive and not update their profiles back to public), games that require public libraries due to how their multiplayer functions operate (since all of their players will use public) and games that aren't "guilty pleasures" (because I can imagine more of their owners will stick to the now-defaulted hidden setting).

If I was running any kind of pseudonymised aggregation and this element of bias was introduced, I'd seriously reconsider how worthwhile the findings were as well.

[gran]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Gekkibi:

Hey, shouldn't you be socializing with me instead of just checking an inanimate profile page. Talk to me, and I shall talk back to you. Oh the sweet, sweet irony...

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

Now I not only have to dismiss people with private profiles, but all regular users too. Thanks Gaben.

Here your passion about this is showing up again. If it won't affect you on the long run then you probably shouldn't have to worry about this so much...

Who are you to decide how much one should "worry" about things? Is there a Gekkibi worry scale I can check out on your profile? Ah, thats right, I forgot. Believe me, I don't want to have this social interaction with you. Steam however is at this point of time making me. Someone has to give their view of the other side of the argument. I can't let you have the monopoly on opinions. But I don't have the time to figure how to talk with you, because you are not the only private profile I've talked with about this topic and that was really a waste of my time. Seeing that you obviously have studied 'Top 10 Reddit arguments that will make you look smart', making it more pathetic (since you obviousky focus more on the messenger, than the message). Believe me, you don't want to go down on logical fallacies with me. That's another game mode.

[Gekkibi]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Gekkibi:

Hey, shouldn't you be socializing with me instead of just checking an inanimate profile page. Talk to me, and I shall talk back to you. Oh the sweet, sweet irony...


Here your passion about this is showing up again. If it won't affect you on the long run then you probably shouldn't have to worry about this so much...

Who are you to decide how much one should "worry" about things? Is there a Gekkibi worry scale I can check out on your profile? Ah, thats right, I forgot.

You sure are very passionate about peeking what's behind my bedroom's curtains.

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

Someone has to give their view of the other side of the argument. I can't let you have the monopoly on opinions.

As I said, "Argued many times, yes. Reasoning why it shouldn't, not so much.". I haven't stopped anyone from expressing their opinions, I'm actually hoping that they would go several thousand steps further...

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

(since you obviousky focus more on the messenger, than the message).

I'm not the one who is playing with identity politics here, you are every time you say (FYI, powerphrasing here...) "y'all private profiles".

Początkowo opublikowane przez Fylgja:

Believe me, you don't want to go down on logical fallacies with me. That's another game mode.

Believe me, I indeed do not want to go down on logical fallacies with you. You would beat me with experience...

[zZzooey.exe]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Miraglyth:

Moreover, to repeat my last post, what would have been the problem with sending a push notification to all users on their next login to explain to them what had happened?

This. I am personally completely ok with the update but it has caused alot of confused users, since not everyone reads steam blog and news. It is also big change which happens to be bugged too.
Absolutely no harm would be done if they made little window pop up saying "we have updated your profile privacy settings! " with a link to news page.

[mihaiedrisch]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Miraglyth:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Tito Shivan:

If microsoft decided tomorrow that every Windows user can decide to make their internet browsing history public...

Your choice of example actually makes the case for the opposite argument here.

The key difference is that it is an example about something not already public, as our games displays have been for 14 years - and arguably with our permission.

Glad you covered this, Miraglyth. Terrible comparison.