Blizzard just LOL'd at privacy

[Beev]

Assuming you have a legitimate technical issue, go to the forum but don't post. Search and see if your issue has already been resolved before. If not, call them. When they refer you to the forum tell them you aren't comfortable with it showing your real name. That should be all they need to hear.

 

[kalrith]

I'm also concerned about this stemming into the "new and improved" Battle Net. Battle Net has always been a huge portion of Blizzard games, and it would be a pity for a game to require me to sell my personal information in order to play it. I think my money should be enough.

 

[Beev]

Bnet is supposed to be using RealID as far as I know. You're making it sound WAY worse than it is too. "Personal information." *scoff* It's JUST your name. No one can see your address, phone number, cd keys, family tree, etc.

 

[smackababy]

Bnet is supposed to be using RealID as far as I know. You're making it sound WAY worse than it is too. "Personal information." *scoff* It's JUST your name. No one can see your address, phone number, cd keys, family tree, etc.

But with your real name they can google search you and find all that information on your facebook!

 

[Maximilian]

Bnet is supposed to be using RealID as far as I know. You're making it sound WAY worse than it is too. "Personal information." *scoff* It's JUST your name. No one can see your address, phone number, cd keys, family tree, etc.

Read the earlier post about the bashiok blizzard mod, he posted his name to prove it would be fine and soon enough details about him and his family members ages/addresses and phone numbers were being posted all over the forum. He also had to close his facebook account due to the abuse he was getting on it.

Yeah its just a name but thats a first step in leading towards other details.

 

[kalrith]

Well, some people have a very unique name, so address and phone number would take about 5 minutes of searching to find.

Many people on the WoW forum have mentioned about being harrassed once people know they're female. RealID would show everyone that they're female and very likely increase the harrassment.

As I already mentioned, a prospective employer could Google my name, see that I play WoW, and not hire me because of that. Some would say that I shouldn't be working for an employer like that, but in this economy, people have to take what they can get.

Edit: Maximilian beat me to it.

 

[kalrith]

Read the earlier post about the bashiok blizzard mod, he posted his name to prove it would be fine and soon enough details about him and his family members ages/addresses and phone numbers were being posted all over the forum. He also had to close his facebook account due to the abuse he was getting on it.

Yeah its just a name but thats a first step in leading towards other details.

He posted it here. Then people went on to dig up all sorts of info on him, such as is posted on this site (which was previously linked in this thread). His name was #29 on the iGoogle top searches. As Maximilian said, he received so much harrassment on Facebook that he had to close his account.

 

[Beev]

If someone cares enough they will find your details regardless. The only people who are going to "abuse" the name listing on the WoW forums are going to be little script kiddies or people that want to harmlessly (albeit annoyingly...) harass you. Hell, depending on which name the system uses, just give it a fake one. Use your real name for billing since you have to, then just put something like "Mykawks O'Huge" for your real name.

 

[Pia]

Bnet is supposed to be using RealID as far as I know. You're making it sound WAY worse than it is too. "Personal information." *scoff* It's JUST your name. No one can see your address, phone number, cd keys, family tree, etc.

My name is unique. Anyone learning it immediately learns my address, e-mail address, phone number and there is a (bad) photo as well. The only choice I have in any of this is not revealing my name.

 

[waggy]

Bnet is supposed to be using RealID as far as I know. You're making it sound WAY worse than it is too. "Personal information." *scoff* It's JUST your name. No one can see your address, phone number, cd keys, family tree, etc.

and how do you think people will get your address. phone number etc? it really don't take much to get it.

99.5% of the posters and post will be fine. trouble is there will be that .5% that have the knowledge and will do something with ti. now most of it will be signing up for mailing list, ordering pizza etc. but its just going to take 1 assault, rape etc to really hurt blizzard.

If someone cares enough they will find your details regardless. The only people who are going to "abuse" the name listing on the WoW forums are going to be little script kiddies or people that want to harmlessly (albeit annoyingly...) harass you. Hell, depending on which name the system uses, just give it a fake one. Use your real name for billing since you have to, then just put something like "Mykawks O'Huge" for your real name.

true. but why make it easyer for the script kiddies? someone that wants to screw wiht you will do it. now the script kiddies will have a easy time of it.

 

[Beev]

My name is unique. Anyone learning it immediately learns my address, e-mail address, phone number and there is a (bad) photo as well. The only choice I have in any of this is not revealing my name.

Err, shouldn't you NOT have it on your profile here then?


/shrug. Just saying, if you're really concerned about it on the WoW forums, why should this be different?

And you should NOT post it here per the forum guidelines.
Admin allisolm

 

[kalrith]

If someone cares enough they will find your details regardless. The only people who are going to "abuse" the name listing on the WoW forums are going to be little script kiddies or people that want to harmlessly (albeit annoyingly...) harass you. Hell, depending on which name the system uses, just give it a fake one. Use your real name for billing since you have to, then just put something like "Mykawks O'Huge" for your real name.

Well, I'll use myself as an example. If I play WoW and someone sees the name kalrith, they (a) don't know whether I'm male or female (therefore no female harrassment), and (b) with no amount of searching or scripting are they going to be able to determine who I am. (c) No employer (prospective or current) is going to be able to see that I play WoW, which is a big deal at some companies.

If you can use a fake name, then that's great. However, Blizzard has your real name for billing, so part of the RealID could be that they use your billing name. Does anyone know what name they use for RealID?

 

[Beev]

I should probably state that I don't approve of the change, I just don't disapprove of it either. I have a unique-ish last name, and it just isn't a worry for me... =/

If you can use a fake name, then that's great. However, Blizzard has your real name for billing, so part of the RealID could be that they use your billing name. Does anyone know what name they use for RealID?

I'm not sure, but I would bet they don't use billing info. What about all of the kids using their mom's credit card? That would make the mom responsible for things the kid says.

 

[kalrith]

Err, shouldn't you NOT have it on your profile here then, <snip>

/shrug. Just saying, if you're really concerned about it on the WoW forums, why should this be different?

The only difference I see between having a name in a forum profile and having it in the WoW forums is that Google would likely find the name in the WoW forums, whereas it wouldn't find it in AT (until you just posted it like a douche )

 

[waggy]

Err, shouldn't you NOT have it on your profile here then?


/shrug. Just saying, if you're really concerned about it on the WoW forums, why should this be different?

as a wow player, (im waggy on alextraza! woot!) forum user i gotta say there are FAR FAR more insane people over there then there is here.

I don't really care personally. not a lot on me worth looking up or harrasing. hell i can use ther interaction heh.

But i can really see how some would really want the info hidden.


and man posting her info was a douchbag move..

 

[Jschmuck2]

This is both pathetic and hilarious at the same time.

 

[Anubis]

http://carywhy.blogspot.com/2010/07/open-letter-to-blizzard-or-it-seems.html

 

[Beev]

But i can really see how some would really want the info hidden.

Definitely. I understand completely why people would want privacy. I just don't think this change is going to hurt as much as those people think.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Ok... obviously...

This will not be a problem -at all- for people with common names... But someone with an obscure name will be REALLY easy to find.


Personally I would close my account or whatever and never go back. If I played WoW..

 

[Pia]

Err, shouldn't you NOT have it on your profile here then, (edited out)?

edited out

/shrug. Just saying, if you're really concerned about it on the WoW forums, why should this be different?

Giving out my name in different contexts creates a different level of exposure. I'd like to have the choice. In many contexts I don't have a choice, which is why it's possible to e.g. google my hobbies (public competetition listings, etc.) using my name.

And, that's not me. A small intentional typo does wonders

 

[Beev]

And, that's not me. A small intentional typo does wonders

Well that's good to hear. I feel sorry for the real Susanna now :x

 

[waggy]

Ok... obviously...

This will not be a problem -at all- for people with common names... But someone with an obscure name will be REALLY easy to find.


Personally I would close my account or whatever and never go back. If I played WoW..

I don't think its worth quitting wow over. Though heard they are going to force the realID to be mandatory. if they do that then yes i will.

 

[NoQuarter]

Err, shouldn't you NOT have it on your profile here then?


/shrug. Just saying, if you're really concerned about it on the WoW forums, why should this be different?

And you should NOT post it here per the forum guidelines.
Admin allisolm

Well I can't piss anyone off on these forums and I can in an online game on a PVP server pretty damn easily.

 

[Newbian]

Well I can't piss anyone off on these forums and I can in an online game on a PVP server pretty damn easily.

If you don't think you can piss off anyone here you clearly are not trying hard enough.

 

[Beev]

If you don't think you can piss off anyone here you clearly are not trying hard enough.

Lol, pretty much sums up what I was going to post . Some people here get agitated very easily...