anonymity
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The FBI uses malware to combat online anonymity
Online anonymity is a beautiful, terrible thing, so naturally governments and law enforcement types are eager to see what happens behind the web's closed doors. Naturally, that includes the folks at the FBI: According to Wired, the FBI has been using "network investigative techniques" -- like highly specific, purpose-built malware -- to help peel back popular anonymizing service Tor's layers of obscurity to catch criminals.
Canadian Supreme Court rules internet anonymity is key to privacy
Congratulations, citizens of Canada, it's your God-given right to travail the internet as UrTheWurst420 hurling sexually graphic insults at children singing pop songs on YouTube. And, unless the police get a warrant, they won't be able to tie that account to your actual identity. In a landmark ruling the Supreme Court of Canada found that online anonymity is a vital component of personal privacy. The ruling came down following the case of Matthew Spencer, who was tried and convicted for possessing child pornography in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Law enforcement asked Shaw Communications for information on a particular user, including the name and address on the account, which would now require a search warrant to obtain. The evidence in this particular case was allowed to stand as the court said police believed they were acting lawfully, but future requests for information would have to go through the courts first.
Vint Cerf: Google services need a degree of anonymity, and they deliver it
Google has drawn flak for wanting much of our access to its services linked under a single Google+ identity -- and preferably a real one. However, company internet evangelist Vint Cerf argues that Google shouldn't (and doesn't) cross a line in the sand on user anonymity. He contends in a Reuters interview that no one should be forced to use their real name, and that Google won't press for one, especially in politically oppressive situations where there could be dire consequences to protesting under a real identity. What about less sensitive conditions, however? Cerf would like to strike a balance: he prefers solutions that "strongly authenticate" people when necessary, without eliminating anonymity altogether. We're glad to hear that there's a place Google won't go in its quest for social network supremacy, although we're sure some would like the search giant to take another step back and restore the controls over anonymity and privacy that they believe have been lost. [Image credit: Joy Ito, Flickr]
Enter at Your Own Rift: Revisiting anonymity in our games
It seems like ages ago, but back in July of 2010, Blizzard shook the MMO world with the announcement of RealID. You probably recall the firestorm, but the long and short of it is that Blizzard was planning to make all posts in the forums display each poster's real-life first and last name. The protests against it were so loud that Blizzard backed down from the move and life resumed as usual. The intend was to integrate social media into Blizzard games, particularly Facebook, but it became a huge can of worms because it forced everyone who wanted to post on the forums to reveal their true names. But social media is continuing to grow, and there are lots of ways that game companies have made use of it. In this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, let's look at Trion's approach and revisit the idea of anonymity in MMOs.
The Daily Grind: Are you protective of your alts?
The other day I realized that EverQuest II's website makes my alternate characters viewable to anyone who knows the name of my main. SOE theoretically gives me the option to toggle the public access functionality on each of my characters, but they're viewable by default (and there's currently a website bug that prevents my profile from being edited). Character lookups aren't unique to EQII of course. Titles as diverse as Lord of the Rings Online, World of Warcraft, and EVE Online pipe in-game information to external websites all the time. What is unique, though, is forcing players to divulge the names of their alts -- even though in this case it's unintended. Though SOE has been polite enough in support ticket communications, its insistence that it can't fix its own website (and thus allow me the option of turning off the public profiles), leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. For today's Daily Grind, tell us about your feelings on alt anonymity. Did you know (and do you care) that SOE broadcasts your alts for the world to see? What are your feelings on the practice as it relates to other MMORPGs? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Chrome and Firefox adding new opt-out features to prevent third-party advertisers from tracking you
Ever been freaked out by an online ad that seemed to know you that little bit too well? It's the result of good old advertisers tracking your net-navigating habits and delivering targeted commercials to your eyeballs, but it can be prevented. Both Google and Mozilla have stepped up (or perhaps been pushed by the FTC) to try and tackle this issue of pernicious tracking cookies, but they've gone about it in different ways. The Chrome solution is a Keep My Opt-Outs browser extension that remembers the sites you don't want personalized information from, while Firefox will start beaming out a Do Not Track HTTP header that should be respected by advertisers and result in you receiving generic, repetitive ads. The important commonality between the two is that they don't rely on you preparing a cookie file with all your anti-advertiser bile contained within it (which was the FTC's original, somewhat impractical idea). Google intends to open-source its extension and bring it to other browsers as well, though obviously it's taking care of Chrome first, which can benefit from the add-on right now.
WSJ: Facebook apps and games are dishing out your user ID to unauthorized third parties
So you thought tweaking your privacy settings could actually keep you private on Facebook? The Wall Street Journal has some sobering news for you and everyone else playing Farmville on the 'book: your favorite apps are transmitting your user ID to advertisers and other third parties, and there's pretty much nothing you can do about it. According to the WSJ, even users who set their privacy sliders to the most hermit-like setting are exposed to having their unique Facebook identifier served up to data collection and advertising agencies, who in turn have been connecting that ID with your name (and anything else you've set to "share with everyone" on your profile) and snowballing it into their archive on your habits and tastes. Even more unsettling, three of the top 10 most used apps, including Farmville, have been found to have dished out the IDs of their users' friends. For its part, the company that Mark Z built says it's "committed to addressing" the issue and a number of the offending apps have been noted as becoming unavailable following the WSJ report. Farmville is of course not among them, it'd be madness to ever yank that cash cow, but whatever happens, you should have already got the message: the internet and privacy don't mix well.
The Daily Grind: Have you been discriminated against in game?
One of the uglier aspects of gamer culture is the tendency to breed, shall we say, a lack of tolerance and respect for those who are "not us." The general anonymity of the online world can bring the worst out in some, with little to check these attitudes unless contrary peer pressure is summoned. So at the risk of reopening old wounds, today we want to ask if you have ever been discriminated against in an MMO based on who you were, what you believed or what you represented. Maybe you felt the sting of ageism as you were shut out of a guild due to being "too young" for the group. Maybe your feminine voice on Vent changed how players treated you -- and not in a good way. Maybe your ethnicity, sexuality, faith, sense of humor, fashion style or cat/dog preference netted you a cold shoulder from the community. Or maybe -- and this is far-fetched -- you've been discriminated against solely because of your lackluster gear or less-than-optimal character build. Hey, it happens (or so the legend goes). Have you been discriminated against in game? Pipe up, and let's sew those old wounds shut once and for all!
GamersFirst promoting anonymity in response to Blizzard's Real ID system
Unless you have sealed yourself away from the internet for the past few days, the odds are good that you've heard about Blizzard's decision to make the Real ID service mandatory for forum usage. The result was the sort of enormous fiasco that makes the phrase "PR nightmare" sound far too gentle. And if that wasn't enough injury, GamersFirst is adding a bit of well-deserved insult with its newest promotion -- which re-affirms how important the option of staying anonymous really is while offering a new home for those packing up and leaving Casa de Azeroth. Executive director Tracy Spaight pulled no punches in a statement on the matter -- "It is an unwarranted intrusion to player privacy to force [players] to disclose their real world identity." The team behind Sword 2, War Rock, and Knight Online (among others) is offering special bonus items until August 9th to players who register in War Rock or Sword 2 with the promotional code StayAnonymous. It's the first public response regarding this debacle we've seen from the industry, but odds are good that it won't be the last. And who doesn't like to get free things just for remaining anonymous?
When crafting community, little goes a long way
Yes, that looks like a typo in the subject line and it ought to be "a little goes a long way." It isn't. Little itself goes a long way in making a community, as discussed in this recent post by Eric Heimburg. Speaking from his experiences both on Asheron's Call 2 as a producer and Aion as a player, his core contention is that smaller communities decrease anonymity and make politeness far more common for interactions among strangers. One of the core reasons behind this is the question of reliance. The community of group-based games tends to be stonger than that of games where you can be almost wholly independent, since you rely upon others to work with you. By way of contrast, examine some of the behavior found in World of Warcraft's random dungeon tool, where you find yourself working with people whom you're statistically unlikely to ever see again. One of the laments about solo-friendly games is the death of community, and while that's not altogether true, Heimburg's post certainly makes a number of compelling points. Well worth examining if you're interested in building a community or just in the ways groups develop.
The pros and cons of Battle.net
Well it's finally happened -- as of next month, you'll be required to have a Battle.net login to get into the game, so you might as well head over and merge your account up right now. It's not like we have a choice in the matter any more, but that doesn't mean lots of players still have apprehensions about the process. Naissa puts some of the concerns together clearly over on her blog -- putting all of her accounts under one username scares her, and that's a legit point. Not only can Blizzard presumably cut access to all of their games for just one (or even one false positive) ToS violation, but presumably, one hacker could now gain access to all of your Blizzard games with one hack. The online profile is another concern -- Bungie already has something like this running with Halo, and from my online profile, you can see clearly just how bad I am. With the Armory, there's a level of anonymity (you can't see your account name, just character names), but if Blizzard starts posting profiles under account names -- or even worse, "Real IDs," which are apparently real names -- that's one more layer of separation lost. Surely, they'll have to have a way to opt out of that.Of course, the changeover isn't all bad.
GLAAD fights homophobia in online communities like WoW
We've talked here on the site before about this issue -- the anonymity in online communities like World of Warcraft often leads to people throwing out offensive statements that they usually wouldn't in normal company. Most people shrug these off as just what happens in online games ("kids will be kids, and idiots will be idiots"), but this type of undercurrent behavior still signifies and perpetuates prejudices and hatreds that affect society at large. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has recently started up a campaign to try and stamp out hatred and homophobia in communities like World of Warcraft, and they've published an op-ed on exactly why this is such a problem and what we can do to stop it. They don't mention WoW specifically, but we're one of the biggest online communities out there, and if nothing else, here's a chance to show just how tolerant we as a community can be.The good news is that as the practice of online gaming grows, both players and policymakers are becoming more and more aware of the problem -- Microsoft met earlier this year with representatives from GLAAD to determine how better to combat offensive statements on Xbox Live, and the organization held a panel recently to discuss exactly this issue.Thanks, Joshua!
An Identity of Imagination...
Being anonymous is par for the course when it comes to the Internet. When approaching any kind of online community for the first time, the very first given task is usually to pick a whole new name, and even without thoughts of deliberate anonymity, it can be very difficult to actually be yourself. Common real names, such as James or Mary or John or Linda, are likely to have already been chosen as login names a long time ago and the nature of the database means duplicates are rarely allowed. A more unique name is needed when signing up, and so almost everyone begins to create for themselves an online persona.In the world of MMOs, the idea of not being oneself becomes even more integral. The player is more than merely a user name attached to forum posts or comments, and is a mighty adventurer too! This presents even more choices; physical attributes, choice of class and profession, even an invented racial background, and with each choice, the opportunity to precisely recreate the real world self diminishes. A game might only provide two different 'light brown' hair styles for male humans, none of which resemble the player's real hair in the slightest. The player has to pick something however, in order to get on and play, and with each choice a made-up version of ourselves is increasingly realised.This other self, comfortably detached from the consequences of a real life existence, can be a liberating thing, but can also be a source of troubles and difficulties all of its own. Just how much anonymity is good for us, and what makes us hide ourselves online?
China imposing 'real-name registration' for online games
The details are a little light, but the People's Daily Online reports that China will begin "real-name registration" for online players this year. It's unclear if this means character names will be required to reflect the player's real name, or if the account must use a name registered with the government. If it's the former, we already have the follow-up headline for next year: Chinese players bemoan lack of anonymity, online douchebaggery down 95%.Four online games have also been suspended after it was discovered that they did not abide by the government's mandatory anti-addiction program.[Via Game Politics]
Social networking meets MMOs at Avatars United
Social networking already intersects with gaming through GAX Online, but there's a newer MMO-centric community that's growing in popularity. Combine the anonymity of being identified only as your avatar with a way to connect with gamers across many MMOs and virtual worlds, and you've got Avatars United. It's like Facebook for your virtual personas. Avatars United has found favor with a number of EVE Online players, according to an interview in the most recent issue of E-ON; EVE players account for roughly 40 percent of the sign-ups. Certainly part of the draw is that Avatars United makes use of EVE Online's API, allowing character data to be displayed along with the other features you've come to expect from a social networking space. Namely -- messaging, blogging, photos, and video. Avatars United isn't just a site for EVE gamers though, and is seeing growing popularity with players from the entire gamut of major MMO titles out there, ranging from Age of Conan to World of Warcraft.
Breakfast Topic: Your WoW personality
I have a friend who doesn't play WoW, but his roommate does. As a psychologist, my friend is a more astute observer of individual behavior than I am. At lunch one day, he theorized that we tend to play World of Warcraft with the same attitude that have in the real world. On this surface this statement seemed to be correct. People in game and in life vary from kind, helpful souls to nasty boorish trolls. I like to think of myself as WYSIWYG (what you see what you get). I try to portray myself online with the same values that I feel define me as a person. I set goals and work hard to achieve them. I consider myself a good friend. Every once in a while I go too far and take on the role of martyr in both game and in life. This is something I'm proud of; on the contrary, I wish I could stop myself from doing it.
Privacy Watch: Tor
With the nonsense on Capitol Hill this week, and discussion of DMCA revision and funding ramping up, I thought it would be a good time to talk about Tor, the award-winning privacy protocol and software from the EFF. Unlike other anonymizers that work by encrypting or proxying particular services and protocols, Tor's TLS-over-onion routing scheme works by re-routing all TCP traffic through a complex network of Tor nodes. Packets, including routing information, are encrypted between each node and each node has access to only very limited information about the next hop. Furthermore, packets pass through a random number of nodes (the more the merrier) and not all packets from a single session need follow the same route. This makes it very, very difficult (it's tempting to say impossible, but that's probably not quite true) to trace the ultimate origin or destination of any packet on the network unless the contents of the packet divulge revealing information.There are drawbacks, of course. Although the onion routing algorithms are good, onion routing certainly has the potential for higher latency that traditional RIP and OSPF routing. Tor is also not an end-to-end solution. If the ultimate destination of a packet is a machine that doesn't support Tor, the packet is in the open from the time it leaves the Tor exit point and using traditional end-to-end encrytption on top of Tor is advisable.The gains are significant, though, and as the protocol becomes more widely adopted the advantages will become even more pronounced. Aside from privacy protection, Tor's "next hop" TLS encryption virtually eliminates the potential for traditional "man in the middle" attacks within the network because such attacks rely on knowing the origin and destination of packets, and capturing a usable data stream. Tor, particularly if combined with end-to-end encryption, also makes encrypted data less susceptible to brute force attacks; it is much more difficult to capture a complete data stream, and data is encrypted multiple times with short-lived session keys.Even though Tor is still in beta, it's well worth a download (The Windows version already won a PCWorld "Best Products of 2005, Security" Award). Take a look, and if you have a public IP, think about setting up a server.
