Blue Post question?

[Sickjen]

Hi all so i normally like to check out blue posts on the front page when i came across this one, It seems like the guy who made the post had some concerns but the way the customer Representative responded was questionable. Can someone explain to me if his claim was a legit claim? I'm just curious does, WOW do anything with RAM outside of playing the game? I could be totally misinterpreting thanks in advance


http://blue.mmo-champion.com/topic/3...f-my-computer/

[SlippyCheeze]

Another thread on the subject got locked already, but:

This sort of thing is what you agreed to in the terms of service and license agreement. You know, that long, long chunk of text you agreed to when you got the game, and probably several times since? That. You said it was cool for them to do this.

WoW, or rather Agent, does scan the computer looking for bots, cheating tools, etc, and yes, WoW will refuse to run if you have them running. "do anything with RAM outside of playing the game" is kind of a fuzzy description, not very technically accurate, but basically: they do scan the system looking for stuff running.

They could potentially use this to steal data, but hey, they could also do that other ways, like, well, stealing data while the game is running. The important question is: what do they, a company with ten million users of WoW alone, gain from this compared to what they lose when -- and it is when -- it is discovered? (See the Sony CD-with-spyware fiasco, and similar things.)


Also, consider this: the person posting that fired up a tool used exclusively for cheating at games, which they just happened to have installed, and set it up in a way designed to hide it from WoW, which they just happened to know how to do, and complained that they got detected.

Do you really think this was just random chance, or "the spirit of enquiry" that motivated them? Because I am pretty sure they were looking to cheat, and got pissy when they couldn't, and posted that to start some drama and/or try and blackmail Blizzard into not detecting their cheating tools.

[Ryune]

but the way the customer Representative responded was questionable. [/URL]

The forums are not the place for either the poster or Blizzard to ask / address legal questions, nor are customer service qualified to answer them. That's why.

I deal with clients daily. If one of them asked me a question about the legality of something in their contract with us I would either pass them to someone qualified or advise they speak to that person. I cannot advise on that and even if I know the answer, its not my place to nor is it sensible for me to.



On the actual point, loads of games do this - anti-cheat software for fps games for example. Anti-virus software may monitor the same.

[Lochton]

As stated by above, this was indeed covered in a previous thread. You do agree to blizzard scanning your system for 3rd party software when you accept the ToS.

[bluspacecow]

This isn't news.

Warden's been scanning your RAM for years. Since the very start.

Not only that but the fact its in the EULA & ToU which you've been re-agreeing to for years means I don't think you have a very strong case when it comes up in a court of law.

Don't forget that the ToU & EULA has been used in several high profile law suit cases Blizzard's been involved in. The first thing the opposition in any trial does is search for ways to throw out bits of evidence. An apparently questionably legal clause allowing them access to scan your RAM would of come up by now.