EA Distributing Spyware !

[Third Eye]

EA were the first to begin selling cheats and now they are the first to have created the most elaborate and expensive spyware tool since Windows 98. According to a Shacknews forum post, Battlefield 2142 includes an extra sheet of paper informing users that the game is being used to monitor their online and computer habits.

When you open the box, a big slip of paper falls out first, preceding any discs or manuals. The slip of paper says, essentially, that 2142 includes monitoring software which runs while your computer is online, and records "anonymous" information like your IP address, surfing habits (probably via cookie scans), and other "computing habits" in order to report this information back to ad companies and ad servers, which generates in-game ads.

In effect EA is using what you do on your PC in order to better target you with ads. It is also obvious that the information they gather about you and your online habits will also be used in any way they see fit. It is certain that the EULA you have to agree to while installing the game clears EA of any legal problems but as the Shacknews post points out the fact that they felt compelled to include an additional sheet informing people of what they are doing, suggests that they are aware of how far they are stretching gamer tolerance.

Source is here

[rockthegod]

this is very true !!!

[s18000rpm]

this spyware will most probably make its appearence in NFS Carbon also.
as Carbon will also include In-game ads.

how does this In-game ad works?

does it get updated inside the game?

just wondering... if we surf "those" sites, then does that mean we'll get some ""those" ads in the game .

[hemant_mathur]

This should be on opt-in feature rather than been forced onto the consumers ... i cry foul !!!

[anandk]

nice post tech mastermind keep rockin' !

[Third Eye]

Originally Posted by anandk

nice post tech mastermind keep rockin' !

Thanks Sir !

[blademast3r]

But wont it be illegal if they include it in a game??

[s18000rpm]

How To Block Ads. in BF2142::: method by a guy in ActionTrip forum.

"If you run bf2142 along side software like TDImon free TCP/UDP monitor, http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/TdiMon.html, you will find that one of the remote connections that BF2142.exe uses is to 72.3.184.153:17475

If you go to NetworkSolutions and WHOIS the IP Address you will get:

WHOIS Record For
72.3.184.153

Record Type: IP Address

IGA Technologies, LLC RSPC-68993-1122139655 (NET-72-3-184-144-1)
72.3.184.144 - 72.3.184.159

IGA is IGA Worldwide and they handle the ads.

!!!Gotcha!!!

Possible solutions is to block port 17475 or better yet block ip address range 72.3.184.144 - 72.3.184.159."

Source==>> http://www.actiontrip.com/link.phtml...ead.php?t=5342

[Third Eye]

thats very useful s18000rpm...thanks

[Kiran.dks]

Very true. Most companies are involved in this. Good post tech_mastermind. Keep posting.

[iMav]

@s18000rpm .... thanx for the solution

[ctrl_alt_del]

I wouldn't say EA is distributing spyware with BF2142...adware will be a more apt term. It would have been deemed spyware had it been installed on the machine without the users consent and spying on your surfing habits surreptitiously. EA and BF2142 did make it quite clear that there is s/w that will moniter and send back reports of your surfing habits after which we will see in-game ads targeted specifically at us.

While I dont really have a problem with some in-game ads, what irritates me more is that the game is being sold at the same price point as a normal ad-free game when they should have given a discount to the customer as a result of the revenues generated by the in-game ads.