Does KSP really have spyware in it?

[JAFO]

3 minutes ago, John FX said:

I use a raspberry pi running Pi-Hole as my DHCP and DNS server.

It looks at all the DNS requests any device connected to my network makes and just does not pass through any that are on your blacklist. Mostly I use it to stop ads. Works with tablets, phones, PCs, anything that uses DNS and DHCP.

It speeds up the internet too because about 27% of the requests my PC wants to make to the internet are marketing, adverts, trackers and so forth. You get a handy web interface with graphs and things. Very nice. Lots of control.

Just added the two addresses to stop KSP phoning home too. Or any other program that uses that service.

On top, Windows asks me if any program can use the internet, I will just say `no` like always.

Then I will not think about it again.

I have a spare pi I might do this with.. how do you find the wifi range with it, given that you're no longer using the modem's antenna?

[linuxgurugamer]

6 minutes ago, The Dunatian said:

I must say this is a titanic disappointment. And meanwhile, Squad hides in the shadows hoping this will blow over. It will not. They would have been more than happy if they could have slipped this to us without our knowing.

What's a titanic disappointment? The fact that the EULA changed?  The fact that they were very up-front about the change, made it a very visible announcement ? 

or, the fact that they aren't doing what you want them to do?

Regarding the "hides in the shadows", they probably aren't allowed to comment.  If they made public comments, those comments, right or wrong, could be used in court.  So by not commenting, they are merely protecting themselves from malicious lawsuits.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

14 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

You apparently didn't know that TT bought KSP about a year ago? 

So, all of a sudden, you learn that TT bought KSP, they changed the EULA, and you start panicking, throwing around inflammatory words, etc?

Didn't really care, until I read the EULA. But even then no panic was involved. I'm just voting with my feet.

A sad day for KSP.

"inflammatory words" oooh

[linuxgurugamer]

Just now, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

"inflammatory words" oooh

The word "spyware" comes to mind, which has been thrown around in this thread

[Mr. Peabody]

1 minute ago, linuxgurugamer said:

The word "spyware" comes to mind, which has been thrown around in this thread

It does take some very personal info.

[JAFO]

1 minute ago, linuxgurugamer said:

The word "spyware" comes to mind, which has been thrown around in this thread

So what do you call it when a company collects personal data that they have no need to know?

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

4 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

The word "spyware" comes to mind, which has been thrown around in this thread

It the title of this thread.

And if any EULA claims they have the right to my PHOTO, CC info and purchases  (not just purchases I make from them, mind you) ... Yeah, you're absolutely right, the word "spyware" does come to mind.

 

Edited March 9, 2018 by Brainlord Mesomorph

[linuxgurugamer]

17 minutes ago, The Dunatian said:

It does take some very personal info.

Really?  What personal info is it taking?  Can you prove whatever it is you say?

All the EULA says is what they "may" take, not what they "will" take

16 minutes ago, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

And if any EULA claims they have the right to my PHOTO, CC info and purchases  (not just purchases I make from them, mind you) ... Yeah, you're absolutely right, the word "spyware" does come to mind

Again, it says they "may" not that they "will".

While KSP isn't doing this, what about a program that takes pictures and uses it in-game?  and possibly send it back for troubleshooting?  This is a standard EULA which is designed to cover everything.  It doesn't say what they actually are collecting

[JAFO]

2 minutes ago, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

And if any EULA claims they have the right to my PHOTO, CC info and purchases  (not just purchases I make from them, mind you)

You forgot to mention first and/or last name, e-mail address, phone number, mailing address, geolocation, age, gender, date of birth, zip code....

This is exactly why, if I can't avoid giving out such information, whenever possible, I'll give false information.. help to poison their database.

As Robert Heinlein's character Friday put it: "with all governments everywhere tightening down on everything wherever they can, with their computers and their Public Eyes and ninety-nine other sorts of electronic surveillance, there is a moral obligation on each free person to fight back wherever possible—keep underground railways open, keep shades drawn, give misinformation to computers. Computers are literal-minded and stupid; electronic records aren’t really records . . . so it is good to be alert to opportunities to foul up the system. If you can’t evade a tax, pay a little too much to confuse their computers. Transpose digits. And so on..."

[Mr. Peabody]

1 minute ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Really?  What personal info is it taking?  Can you prove whatever it is you say?

All the EULA says is what they "may" take, not what they "will" take

And you are naive enough to think they won't?

[linuxgurugamer]

Just now, The Dunatian said:

And you are naive enough to think they won't?

And you are gullible to think that they will do everything they list in the EULA?  Enjoy your tin hat

[JAFO]

3 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Again, it says they "may" not that they "will".

In addition to what @The Dunatian said above, there is the more important principle, which is that they assert they have the right to do so, if they wish. And that's a fundamental point of disagreement, for me.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

7 minutes ago, JAFO said:

I'll give false information.. help to poison their database.

Technically that's "computer fraud" you know.   Not that I disagree with your act of civil disobedience. 

 

6 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

And you are gullible to think that they will do everything they list in the EULA?  Enjoy your tin hat

LOLOLOL 

Edited March 9, 2018 by Brainlord Mesomorph

[linuxgurugamer]

1 minute ago, JAFO said:

In addition to what @The Dunatian said above, there is the more important principle, which is that they assert they have the right to do so, if they wish. And that's a fundamental point of disagreement, for me.

I will, surprising some people here, actually agree with this statement.

[JAFO]

3 minutes ago, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

Technically that's "computer fraud" you know.   Not that I disagree with your act of civil disobedience. 

I'd argue that if I'm not doing so for illicit personal gain, it's not fraud.. and I'm comfortable with that.

Besides, I'd argue that since governments can run legalised protection rackets by calling them "income tax", they're in no position to point the finger at me. 

[TheCardinal]

 Sigh! I'm one of those old coots who has been around here since 0.13.  A lot has changed since then. KSP was the pet program of a group of enthousiastic developers. The atmosphere in and around the game was warm and fuzzy. It was more like a hobby project than a commercial project. A lot has changed since 0.13. The game has matured a lot and with the new planets, which were added every so often, the possibilities and joy increased. KSP'ers who have been around for quite some time probably also remember the time(s) when every new release meant new surpises and easter eggs. Frankly i miss those times. After every new release i went on a wild goose chase to find those easter eggs. Those easter eggs no longer are easter eggs but have become fixed parts of the game.  New easter eggs no longer are added in the game (It really is a shame). Unless i'm completely mistaken, none of the original developers are still involved with the development of KSP. Whatever the reason each of them had for leaving, they're all gone. Is that a kind of sign or not? That's something everybody may decide for him or herself. Fact is that the game has become a commercial product and the company not only wants to earn money with the game, but also with DLC's and now even data-mining. Several people here have been trying to downplay and even defend the data-mining. Who are they trying to fool? Themselves perhaps? Datamining can (indirectly) reveal information about you which you would never give freely. I can remember a case where a woman had to have a hystorectomy. After a few months the lady received all kinds of maternity related adds by post. (The lady hadn't bought sanitary napkins for several months, hence she was believed to be pregnant).

Call it 'spyware', call it 'user related functional data gathering', call it 'data-mining' or whatever, i don't care. I just don't want it done to me, no matter what you call it! Yes, I know i don't have to upgrade to 1.4. And that's what i probably will do. I'll just download every new version and DLC's until i can sell my copy of KSP to someone who has less problems with the data mining. Until that time, i'll just amuse myself with a prior version.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

I shouldn't talk, I have a Yahoo account under the name Brian Lord.

[razark]

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him.

The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours. It was part of the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week. The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way. On each landing, opposite the lift-shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran.

[JAFO]

6 minutes ago, TheCardinal said:

I can remember a case where a woman had to have a hystorectomy. After a few months the lady received all kinds of maternity related adds by post. (The lady hadn't bought sanitary napkins for several months, hence she was believed to be pregnant).

Nah.. according to @MaxwellsDemon, this doesn't happen.. there's no profit in tracking an individual this way.

Edited March 9, 2018 by JAFO

[Clockwork13]

2 minutes ago, JAFO said:

Nah.. according to @MaxwellsDemon, this doesn't happen.. there's no profit in tracking an individual this way.

Uh, yes there is. It benefits advertisers.

[John FX]

47 minutes ago, JAFO said:

I have a spare pi I might do this with.. how do you find the wifi range with it, given that you're no longer using the modem's antenna?

You connect to your router exactly the same way you always did and you continue using the modem's antenna. Nothing changes except you turn off DHCP on your router and turn it on on the pi. The pi just sits out of the way connected to your network (either through an ethernet cable or wifi) and handles DNS requests, which it then pi-holes, or passes on to a real DNS server of your choice.

You can even give particular devices a static IP.

[JAFO]

1 minute ago, Clockwork13 said:

Uh, yes there is. It benefits advertisers.

You know that. I know that.

But @MaxwellsDemon insists there's no value in doing so.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

Just now, JAFO said:

You know that. I know that.

But @MaxwellsDemon insists there's no value in doing so.

I think there "may" be one or two (or really just one) TT employees in this thread.

[JAFO]

1 minute ago, John FX said:

You connect to your router exactly the same way you always did and you continue using the modem's antenna. Nothing changes except you turn off DHCP on your router and turn it on on the pi. The pi just sits out of the way connected to your network (either through an ethernet cable or wifi) and handles DNS requests, which it then pi-holes, or passes on to a real DNS server of your choice.

You can even give particular devices a static IP.

Nice.. I'd give you a 'like', but according to the forum software, I'm all out of likes now.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

2 minutes ago, JAFO said:

Nice.. I'd give you a 'like', but according to the forum software, I'm all out of likes now.

there  I did it for you.