No Spyware In My Steam...
<div class="IPBDescription">just did a scan</div> As stated in a multitude of cheating sites, steam is spyware and the half-life.gfc is full of private information...
Well..
I just did a scan of my half-life.gfc, and it didn't contain one single reference to anything outside half-life. I searched for .bin, mp3, mpg, iso and drive references... so I wouldn't worry that much about the spyware aspect. I'll continue to make some scans in the coming week so it doesn't starta catching things later, but for now I'm not the least worried. Let's just hope I'm right :-)
Well..
I just did a scan of my half-life.gfc, and it didn't contain one single reference to anything outside half-life. I searched for .bin, mp3, mpg, iso and drive references... so I wouldn't worry that much about the spyware aspect. I'll continue to make some scans in the coming week so it doesn't starta catching things later, but for now I'm not the least worried. Let's just hope I'm right :-)
Comments
The whole deal is the OGC people hexed the qcache file which is 400mb and holds all the maps,models, sounds etc for the mod. This is so in testing people couldn't use custom content. In this file tehy found information about files downlaoded by kazaa, internet history etc.
However, this cache file is a pre-allocated file set aside so that Steam knows it will have enough hard drive space to download whatever it is that you need. But because of the way FAT32 works, whatever data used to be there won't be erased until Steam actually writes something there (all it's said is "I'll need this space for this file, set it aside for me"). The references to other files are from whatever file was there, then deleted.
<!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo--> YOUR HEAD <!--emo&::gorge::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/pudgy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pudgy.gif'><!--endemo--> EAT YOUR HEAD
Valve knows the people who use HL and who are going to use steam probably know whats going on with computers, and word would get out instantly if there was any spyware, there is just to many smart people to not find the spyware if it existed and then people would find a way to get around it, and it would also shoot valve and their credibility in the foot and would probably loose them alot of loyals.
from a standpoint of making money, putting spyware in steam wouldn't help at all, the risk would far outweight the benifits to valve.
nobody would use them anymore so ....
And for those ignorant ones amongst you who still wont beleive me...
1) What use would the directory structure of your hard drive be to anyone?
2) Why would steam need to store it in a file... it can read it directly from the hdd at any time
3) Valve would legally be required to say that spyware was contained in steam on the download page
Well..
I just did a scan of my half-life.gfc, and it didn't contain one single reference to anything outside half-life. I searched for .bin, mp3, mpg, iso and drive references... so I wouldn't worry that much about the spyware aspect. I'll continue to make some scans in the coming week so it doesn't starta catching things later, but for now I'm not the least worried. Let's just hope I'm right :-) <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
it was in the beta... not in the final version (well not sure thou)... and it was the gcache* file or smth
Valve knows that there is a hell of alot of cs players out there, and at least 80% of those players use p2p programs. So if valve wanted to they could send of your information to RIAA and if you had anything illegal on your computer they would know about it.
any information you have on your harddrive CAN and most probaly WILL be sent threw to valve, most probaly just a list of apps you have installed on your computer.
stop making threads about *THERE IS NO SPYWARE* if you think there isnt your just in denial.
every product has some kind of spyware.
Collection and Use of Information
By using Valve's online sites and products, users agree that Valve may share with other parties aggregate information and individual information but not personally identifiable information gathered by Valve in the course of the continuing use of Valve online sites and products. "Aggregate information" is information that describes the habits, usage patterns, and demographics of users as a group but does not describe or reveal the identity of any particular user.
What else would spyware be if it did not collect information from usage of products?
What would valve gain by having 1/4-3/4s out their user base sued by the riaa and having their pc's confiscated?
The infomation that they collect is the details of your internet connection and online surveys that come with the HL patches, you know, the ones that gather your system specs. The results can be viewed <a href='http://valve.speakeasy.net/survey/' target='_blank'>here</a>
Coincidently the more popular system spec ae around the minimum requirements for HL2 (700MHz cpu, TNT2 graphics card), could they be using this info to make informed disicions in the production of new software? Heaven forbid that ever happened....
"Not true. We have no interest in what's on your hard drive.
When we first heard about this, we were perplexed. Then we realized that
the people who were seeing this were running FAT32 instead of NTFS. In
Windows, if you have the NTFS file system, it zeros out sectors before it
reallocates them. With FAT32, it doesn't. So if you allocate a large file
(it doesn't matter if it's a Steam cache or some other application's files),
in FAT32 if you open that file, you will see whatever data was left over
from the previous writes to those sectors until your application writes over
that data with new data. So on FAT32, Steam allocates 400 MB of space,
fills up 200 MB with game stuff, and the remaining 200 MB contains whatever
was already there.
Does this make sense? You can try it with other large unfilled files on
your system and see the same thing.
Gabe"
Wanna know why Steam doesn't have spyware in it? Because back when Blizzard had their software look for email addresses of people who were using hacked keys, they got sued <i>and lost</i>. Same would go with Valve. If they tried to get information from your hard drive they'd get their pants sued off.
Demographic data means this: "oh, we have 30000 users in this one state and it's causing problems with bandwidth, we need more master servers in that region" or something to that extent.
nobody would use them anymore so .... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
If you downloaded some Windows Media Player updates, you've already given them permission to change stuff on your hard disk and disable programs when they feel like it. It's for digital rights management.
Also, it's worth mentioning that this was for a security update, so you basically have two options:
- install it and now MS basically owns your system.
- don't install it and let hackers own your system.
Basically: use MS software, get hacked. By MS and/or third parties.
Also, that same media players also tells MS what you're playing on your PC. You can (still) turn that bit off though, but it's on by default.
<a href='http://www.win2000mag.net/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=26215' target='_blank'>http://www.win2000mag.net/Articles/Index.c...ArticleID=26215</a>
<a href='http://www.petri.co.il/wmp_spyware.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.petri.co.il/wmp_spyware.htm</a>
<a href='http://www.computercops.biz/article2377.html' target='_blank'>http://www.computercops.biz/article2377.html</a>
Did you notice loads of people stopped using MS? Most don't know what's on their PC, most don't read that licence agreement (considering the amount of critical security patches, there are loads of them, all equally boring).
Based on recent events, Valve wants to be like MS:
Released software is buggy as hell, all sorts of inconveniences to fight piracy (and basically take control of the PC away from the owner, just like MS's DRM schemes), and check what your users are doing.
Valve knows that there is a hell of alot of cs players out there, and at least 80% of those players use p2p programs. So if valve wanted to they could send of your information to RIAA and if you had anything illegal on your computer they would know about it.
any information you have on your harddrive CAN and most probaly WILL be sent threw to valve, most probaly just a list of apps you have installed on your computer.
stop making threads about *THERE IS NO SPYWARE* if you think there isnt your just in denial.
every product has some kind of spyware. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
laff
Valve knows that there is a hell of alot of cs players out there, and at least 80% of those players use p2p programs. So if valve wanted to they could send of your information to RIAA and if you had anything illegal on your computer they would know about it.
any information you have on your harddrive CAN and most probaly WILL be sent threw to valve, most probaly just a list of apps you have installed on your computer.
stop making threads about *THERE IS NO SPYWARE* if you think there isnt your just in denial.
every product has some kind of spyware. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
laff <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I didn't want to post another laughing post...but it needs to be done.
Laff.
<!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'><!--endemo-->
1) Stupid
2) Kidding themselves
3) Oblivious
4) Wants to hate Steam so makes up reasons why it's bad
But you know what? Even if it DID have spyware, I wouldn't care. So somebody knows that I prefer Sum41 to Blink182. BIG DEAL! Does somebody else having that information harm me in any way? NO!
I have yet to see one concrete instance where spyware actually caused any harm. Sure, I run AdAware regularly, but only because most spyware are like viruses and waste computer resources. I don't actually care about what they do, only the effect they have on my computer.
There are some indications that Steam does exactly that. No matter if it is or isn't spyware, a lot of people have problems with it and it seems to be a bit of a resource hog.
Oh, and as for spyware messing up your computer, C2.lop screws around with your system files and can permenently destroy your ability to connect to the internet if it's deleted incorrectly. Many other programs also use up tons of memory/cpu cycles.
I mean harm coming from the information gathered.
I mean harm coming from the information gathered. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well, I don't want anyone to be gathering information about me. I have plenty to hide. Nothing relating to criminal stuff of course. I'd just like my privacy to extend to computer use, just like I don't want some bored policeman to listen to every phone conversation without the required warrant, I close envelopes if I send a letter, and I wouldn't want cameras controlled by someone else installed in my house.
First off, theres no way in hell Steam has spyware. Its illogical, stupid, too big a risk, and overall, WHY WOULD THEY HAVE IT?!
Second off, about that paragraph in the license agreement: Guess what? EVERY FRICKIN SERVER BROWSING SOFTWARE HAS THAT IN THEIR TOS. EVERY MMO GAME HAS IT IN THEIR TOS. EVERY ONLINE MULTIPLAYER GAME HAS IT IN THEIR TOS. I've seen it a billion and a damned half times. So guess what? THAT DOESN'T MEAN CRAP.
Stop downing steam just because you idiots are too lazy to get the version with HL and CS installed in the cache. If you wanna still play your mods, guess what? YOU CAN. You can for the next 2-3 WEEKS. OKIEDOKIE!? NOW STOP DOWNING IT!
<a href='http://www.voogru.com/ccnncc99/omgspyware3.jpg' target='_blank'>here</a>
<img src='http://www.voogru.com/ccnncc99/omgspyware3.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
<img src='http://www.voogru.com/ccnncc99/omgspyware4.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
that looks like spyware to me..
NOTE: i run in NTFS not FAT 32
<a href='http://www.voogru.com/ccnncc99/omgspyware3.jpg' target='_blank'>here</a> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Then why don't you try checking all your other games for that same thing? Guess what- thats a file integrated, so it'll work with windows. All your files have that, you just gotta find them. Well, all of the bigger applications, anyway.