EA Owns You Online

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Lookout for EA!

If you sign up to play EA games through Microsoft’s Xbox Live Service, Microsoft will provide your Xbox Live user account information to EA so that we can establish an EA Online account for you. You need an EA Online account to play EA’s Xbox Live titles. By signing up to play EA's Xbox Live titles, you agree that Microsoft can transfer your user account information to EA. Information collected will vary depending upon the activity and may include your name, e-mail address, phone number, mobile number, home address, birth date and credit card information. In addition, we may collect demographic information such as gender, zip code, information about your computer, hardware, software, platform, media, Internet IP address and connection, information about online activity such as feature usage, game play statistics and scores, user rankings and click paths and other data that you may provide in surveys or online profiles, for instance. We may combine demographic information with personal information.

 

[RobertR1]

They're making is so that live can talk to the EA ranking servers. I'm ok with that!

 

[Guden Oden]

They need to collect all that shit just to make their servers be able to talk to each other?

 

[expletive]

Lookout for EA!

Is this intrinsic to the Live service or would EA request/require this information from anyone wishing to take their games online via PC et. al.?

 

[nintenho]

They're making is so that EA can spam you and sell your information.

fixed.

 

[Sis]

They need to collect all that shit just to make their servers be able to talk to each other?

This has been the case from the very beginning, AFAIK, and it is one of the worst examples of Microsoft bending over [backwards] so that EA would publish games on Xbox. It needs to change.

 

[SugarCoat]

This has been the case from the very beginning, AFAIK, and it is one of the worst examples of Microsoft bending over [backwards] so that EA would publish games on Xbox. It needs to change.

you're delusional if you think sony isnt going to do the same exact thing. when its between these companies making a dollar and your privacy, you my friend take a back seat.

 

[NavNucST3]

Remember the $2 for privacy?

 

[Diamond.G]

Whats the Alternative?

Having played a couple of EA games online (for both the PS2 and 360), it seems like the terms are the same. EA wants to have info on the ppl that play of their own. What would be worse is if EA made you pay to play on thier servers even though you already pay for live and the game in question isn't a MMO. Also I think it is nice, I dont have to remember my EA login info, it uses my live info... I dunno it kinda seems like a MEH point to me.

 

[Chris123234]

Having played a couple of EA games online (for both the PS2 and 360), it seems like the terms are the same. EA wants to have info on the ppl that play of their own. What would be worse is if EA made you pay to play on thier servers even though you already pay for live and the game in question isn't a MMO. Also I think it is nice, I dont have to remember my EA login info, it uses my live info... I dunno it kinda seems like a MEH point to me.

You shouldn't mind your phone company sharing your phone number to people either. I mean its just a MEH point.

 

[digitalwanderer]

This is another big reason the Wii excites me, rumored free online play.

 

[a688]

This is another big reason the Wii excites me, rumored free online play.

Free doesn't mean they won't force you to enter that information . Anyways have they confirmed that 3rd parties can't charge for online play?

 

[kyleb]

You shouldn't mind your phone company sharing your phone number to people either. I mean its just a MEH point.

At least to all of us who have it listed in the phone book.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

This is another big reason the Wii excites me, rumored free online play.

PSP has free online play, but EA charge for their services. This is an EA thing, not an MS or Sony or Nintendo thing. I don't know if any other publishers will want to do the same. As long as everyone pays the fee, it'll become popular - it's only a couple of dollars you know - and then it becomes the standard and they'll all want a piece of the pie. Maybe without any microtransaction infrastructure Wii will remain free of extra costs?

 

[Diamond.G]

You shouldn't mind your phone company sharing your phone number to people either. I mean its just a MEH point.

There are lots of pranks you can pull on telemarketers and numbers you dont recognize... Why would I want to deprive myself of the fun??

At least they ASKED me before doing it, so I would only have myself to blame.

Is EA charging for PSP stuff recent? Cuase I have Need for Speed on it and could play online for free...

 

[Powderkeg]

At least to all of us who have it listed in the phone book.

I can get your phone number, even if it's not listed.

I can get a whole lot more than that too, all 100% legal. Ever hear of www.accurint.com ?

 

[NRP]

Fortunately, EA makes crap online games (for the most part).

 

[Bobbler]

Is EA charging for PSP stuff recent? Cuase I have Need for Speed on it and could play online for free...

EA's PSP stuff is all free... they just give you the option to pay if you don't actually want your privacy invaded ($2 or something). Sort of strange that they even give you the option on PSP, since they don't on any other platform.

 

[Chris123234]

The indifference-to-privacy attitude some people have makes me laugh.