Blizzard Facing Lawsuit Over Forceful Authenticator Purchases

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This is a mixed situation. From one side blizzard is only telling users that their data might be more secure if they purchase something (whenever its true or not, is yet to be seen). From another side, any company that stores personal data is enforced by law to keep such data safe.

Now here is something FAR worse: When i bought Starcraft 2, i had to agree to the "terms of agreement". Fairly simple, since if i dont agree i have to return the game stating that i do not agree with the terms of agreement, and then fight with the store so that they take the game back.

Lets assume that they would take it back (any store will tell you that they cant since you might have copied the game already, but by law they are enforced to take it back), and that this problem can be solved. Here is another that cant:

After a certain Patch in the game, a new term of agreement came up. It turns out, Blizzard CAN 1 way change the agreement with a simple patch (since, "hey, its new contenent") and force you to agree to it.
IN THOERY, if i DONT agree to it, i should get back to my pre patch version and be able to play the game. Well, no luck there ofc.
Its understandable for the Multiplayer, but this also affected Single Player. That is considered (at least in the European Union) an abusive situation, that should be punished, and then fixed.

So, as a personal note to Blizzard, EA, and all those other big companies out there:
You have a problem with piracy? Maybe you are doing something wrong.
 
[citation][nom]thecolorblue[/nom]BANKS: We keep your account safe -- NO AUTHENTICATORS REQUIRED::: Tight security.BLIZZ: We cannot keep your account safe -- AUTHENTICATOR REQUIRED::: Laughable pseudo-security[/citation]

I have an authenticator for my online banking, as do millions of people....
 
[citation][nom]thecolorblue[/nom]BANKS: We keep your account safe -- NO AUTHENTICATORS REQUIRED::: Tight security.BLIZZ: We cannot keep your account safe -- AUTHENTICATOR REQUIRED::: Laughable pseudo-security[/citation]

Can you at least try to be semi intelligent when posting an argument and use google to make sure there is no fallacies in your argument?
http://www.cnbc.com/id/49122362/BofA_JPMorgan_Citi_Repeatedly_Hacked_by_Iran_Sources
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9231515/U.S._banks_on_high_alert_against_cyberattacks

Banks get targeted by hackers, people get targeted by phishing scams to transfer stolen funds. Are you REALLY that IGNORANT that this CAN happen?!
 
[citation][nom]ben850[/nom]If you have a smart phone it's free.. this hardly sounds like AV/Blizz is trying to trick anyone.[/citation]
Correction: If you have one of either two supported smartphone types. If you have anything else you're screwed.
 
[citation][nom]neiroatopelcc[/nom]Correction: If you have one of either two supported smartphone types. If you have anything else you're screwed.[/citation]


It's not Blizzards fault if someone fails to get with the times. Feature phones can't download the app and I can't see why they would make an app for blackberry considering they are somewhat niche and their market presence is shrinking. Warcraft's min sys requirements got higher over the years as they could no longer cater wow to ancient pc systems and dial up. Move on, get a new phone.
 
[citation][nom]valkain[/nom]It's not Blizzards fault if someone fails to get with the times. Feature phones can't download the app and I can't see why they would make an app for blackberry considering they are somewhat niche and their market presence is shrinking. Warcraft's min sys requirements got higher over the years as they could no longer cater wow to ancient pc systems and dial up. Move on, get a new phone.[/citation]
So you're saying a windows phone 8 is not recent? what about my windows phone 7? and what about the 500 million or so symbian phones?
Your first argument rules out symbian, sure but the second rules out anything else. It's like saying everyone should drive a toyota corolla because it's the most common car and therefore the only one worth having.

Besides, in a struggling economy it's not reasonable to pay $600 for a new mobile phone just to play a $50 game.
 
[citation][nom]valkain[/nom]It's not Blizzards fault if someone fails to get with the times. Feature phones can't download the app and I can't see why they would make an app for blackberry considering they are somewhat niche and their market presence is shrinking. Warcraft's min sys requirements got higher over the years as they could no longer cater wow to ancient pc systems and dial up. Move on, get a new phone.[/citation]

Thats like saying "its not my fault that people are stupid and belive when i scam them".
If they want you to have a phone to be able to play a game you buy, then they should put it in min requirements.
 
If I get this straight... they wouldn't be getting sued if they didn't offer the extra/optional authenticators right?
 
This has to be the dumbest debate I have ever witnessed people make. People are saying it should be included....... It is an ADDED security measure IF you WANT it. Other games ....including steam/origin/SWtoR/any other MMO etc. NONE of them include an authenticator. People that get hacked are falling for phishing attempts, going to sites that install malware etc. This is user error.......They are not forcing anyone to buy it. As others have stated it is free and has been available for free for over 4 years with a smart phone. The people jumping on the band wagon should start suing for installing home security systems and after market car alarms too.
 
I stopped playing WoW a year ago, but I never used an authenticator. I had a disposable email address strictly for Battlenet at a small email site that was rarely spammed. Had a pretty complex password for it that I changed regularly and kept my PC clean as far as malware goes (regular scanning and common sense about downloading/file sharing/browsing). Also never bought gold. I never was hacked in five years of playing when almost daily members of my large guild complained of it.
 
[citation][nom]beayn[/nom]Not everyone has a smartphone. Plus, there was no smartphone app when the authenticator first came out, it took a few years. If you pay $60 for the game, plus $40 per expansion, plus $15 per month, the LEAST they can do is include an authenticator in the game.[/citation]

First off it didn't take that long for the app to launch. Secondly the authenticator protects information on the users side of things. Let's use a simple analogy. You go to Homedepot and buy a set of locks for your house. It doesn't matter if you buy the best locks available if you don't lock your damn doors. The authenticator will automatically lock the doors for you. A crude analogy but people seem confused so I'm keeping it simple.

The authenticator is to protect people who are sloppy enough to let their PC get infected or stupid enough to open/respond to a fake email. It's a second, added layer of protection that not everyone (smart people) needs. I would rather not have the cost of a product that exists to protect fools added into the cost of the game.

 
I agree, if you require a battle.net account, the party in charge of battle.net should be responsible for the security of data, it should not require additional purchase after the sale, this is fraud or incompetence any way you cut it.
 
[citation][nom]beayn[/nom]You need a cell phone WITH texting, AND it has to be in Blizzard's database, which they are VERY lazy at keeping updated. Many Cell phone numbers in Canada are not in their database and it's a pain in the ass to fix. (I tried with a friend's phone). You also can't use a VOIP phone with texting, it *must* be a mobile phone. Ridiculous rules like this make it a big problem and I must say, that is most definitely Blizzard's fault.On top of this, why should anyone have to get a phone and pay $60+ a month just so they can go buy an authenticator so they can abide by Blizzard's binding SMS rules? Perhaps they should have written "Cell phone with SMS texting" in the System Requirements section for their games.[/citation]

come on...you live in a first world country and you are telling me that you don't have a spare phone lying around and can't afford a pre-paid SIM? i don't know about how it is up there, but down here pre-paid SIMs are dirt cheap and yes, they can be used with authenticators.

if you don't have a smart phone for the app authenticator or unable to use the SMS authenticator or refuse to get the physical authenticator or even use the windows authenticator ( have not tried this yet), then just be smart. stop clicking on those shady links! you don't even need any of these to play the game by just being careful.


 
[citation][nom]ben850[/nom]If you have a smart phone it's free.. this hardly sounds like AV/Blizz is trying to trick anyone.[/citation]

Not everyone has a smart phone.

How the trick played out:
1. Product for sale: Diablo III. Features to include real money auction house. Authenticator is optional.
2. Product delivered: Diablo III. Features now include real money auction house, only accessible with authenticator.
3. Free authenticator to smartphone users. Everyone else pay money you weren't told about in #1.

A lawsuit here seems pretty petty to me. That $10 or so they charged I bet only offsets cost of the device and equipment & staffing to run it on the back end. I doubt any profit was made and it didn't exactly break the bank of a player.

But that said... It looks to me like Blizzard is in the wrong and will lose.
 
[citation][nom]envymert[/nom]This has to be the dumbest debate I have ever witnessed people make. People are saying it should be included....... It is an ADDED security measure IF you WANT it. [/citation]

That is not 100% correct.

It was an added measure when the game launched. It is now required if you wish to use a portion of the game, namely the real money auction house.
 
Blizzard has a huge security issue. I stopped playing WoW years ago, but somehow my account was hacked, even years after I stopped playing. They would email me and ask me to check my account because it was "accessed by someone other than me".
 
[citation][nom]sdfgsfhg[/nom]Blizzard's games have certainly gone downhill since 2009 but their customer service has pretty much remained solid. Almost every single instance of someone being "hacked" is a result of some idiot doing the wrong thing. Back in 2004-7, it was people clicking on keyloggers (a website with a virus that is downloaded to the user's computer to relay account info), and now since the authenticator was released in 2008 to prevent keylogging, it's people clicking on fake password reset emails and such and willingly giving away their information. Blizzard supplied the authenticator because it thought that it would reduce the headaches caused by people whining about how they got "hacked," not to intentionally cripple their own account security in order to make a couple bucks on the side, especially since WoW by itself is a multi billion dollar franchise and selling off customer loyalty for a measly 26 million, which would be over 4 years if this figure is from the introduction of authenticators onward, isn't very lucrative when factoring in the loss of customers.[/citation]

ehh, I take issue with the part I've bolded in your statement. My account was hacked very early into the release and not because of anything I did. I did not "buy" thier authenticator and my account was hacked the first weekend of play..... less than 20 hours of gameplay. I was about to let it slide until the CSR's all but accused me of being the reason for the breach on the account. Any "trust" in security or faith in the company's willingness to give it's customer the benefit of the doubt was lost on the spot. It was a $60.00 lesson I won't ever forget. I hope I get an invitation to this class action as I would like my original $60.00 back. I haven't played D3 or any Activ/Blizz title since, unfortunately & probably never will again.
 
FYI on my above post..... the "hack" that occured on my account was before the RMAH had even went Live. My character was there but it's inventory was completely looted. My user/pass has never been shared and my game was a legitimate copy as I have never cracked or keygen'd any of my games. It was a breach on their side and what irked me the most was the immediate deflection of the problem back on to me in an automated response, which also included marketing for the authenticator. It makes me mad all over again just posting my tale here...
 
The lawsuit should be thrown out. The reason the authenticator isn't bundled with the game is you can use your smart phone to act as an authenticator for free. Why make everyone pay extra for an item that probably a large segment don't need. They also give them away at Blizzcon for free. This is a BS legal action by someone trying to make money for himself and his lawyer.
 
[citation][nom]littleleo[/nom]The lawsuit should be thrown out. The reason the authenticator isn't bundled with the game is you can use your smart phone to act as an authenticator for free. Why make everyone pay extra for an item that probably a large segment don't need. They also give them away at Blizzcon for free. This is a BS legal action by someone trying to make money for himself and his lawyer.[/citation]

Use whose smartphone? Yours?

Some people do not have smartphones, or they have ones not capable of running the app. Having a smartphone is not a requirement written on the box.

I agree it's BS, but they have a valid case and blizzard will lose (or likely settle)
 
[citation][nom]gncd[/nom]come on...you live in a first world country and you are telling me that you don't have a spare phone lying around and can't afford a pre-paid SIM? i don't know about how it is up there, but down here pre-paid SIMs are dirt cheap and yes, they can be used with authenticators. if you don't have a smart phone for the app authenticator or unable to use the SMS authenticator or refuse to get the physical authenticator or even use the windows authenticator ( have not tried this yet), then just be smart. stop clicking on those shady links! you don't even need any of these to play the game by just being careful.[/citation]When I was setting this up, there was no windows app. I also do not have any infections on my system. I'm not a careless type in that regard. My ONLY reason for setting it up was to use the RMAH to sell shit.

Eventually I found an Android emulator that seemed legit... it's tough to google something like that and not find a bunch of infectious scams... Unfortunately to use the Paypal method instead of Blizzard's bank (which can't be withdrawn from), Blizz requires an SMS phone that is *not* a pre-paid phone (another of Blizzard's stupid rules), which is why I didn't toss money on my expired prepaid cell that I never use.

So, again, while it seems all peachy and easy for those with smartphones, those without or those with pre-paid phones are either locked out or limited.

 
[citation][nom]neiroatopelcc[/nom]So you're saying a windows phone 8 is not recent? what about my windows phone 7? and what about the 500 million or so symbian phones?Your first argument rules out symbian, sure but the second rules out anything else. It's like saying everyone should drive a toyota corolla because it's the most common car and therefore the only one worth having. Besides, in a struggling economy it's not reasonable to pay $600 for a new mobile phone just to play a $50 game.[/citation]
Have you tried developing an app? How long does it take to make one? How much longer does it take to make it secure and function the way it should without having any security flaws? I imagine it's coming down the road. I can't imagine them whipping it out in a snap without time, R&D and internal Q&A to ensure quality and security.

[citation][nom]Cats_Paw[/nom]Thats like saying "its not my fault that people are stupid and belive when i scam them". If they want you to have a phone to be able to play a game you buy, then they should put it in min requirements.[/citation]
Because it isn't Blizzards fault people get scammed. People are stupid enough scammed. That is an undeniable fact. Who says you have to buy a phone? Blizzard is not forcing you to shove an optional software up your rectum. You don't want an authentication, don't buy it. You don't want the software on a phone, don't use it.

If you live in a high crime neighborhood, and choose not to have home security that's your own problem. If you choose not to own a gun to defend your home and property from an intruder, that is your choice. Security is optional whether its a game, your car, your home or your life.

Bllizzard gives you a choice. Take it, or leave it. Blizzard is not the mafia. They are not holding a gun to your head and "suggest" you should pay for protection.
 
[citation][nom]private6845648[/nom]The last line is the key. This lawsuit is just a mechanism to force availability of the ability to play while offline.[/citation]

Perhaps, but the bottom line is that for a game that is mainly a single player game? You should be able to play off-line. It's not an MMO, it's a combo MMO and single-player.

The single-player should have been offline or online.
 
I have played wow since 2004 and my account has never been hacked, when blizz added the battle.net sytem to it and changed usernames to emails there was no issue. The day they released the authenticators i thought this is a great idea to protect my hard earnt time playing and i bought one and added it to my account. Living is Australia they charged me $50 postage for the thing and i thought that was steep only to get a full refund of that a couple of days later so that was nice. Never during this time have i ever thought i have been ripped off for security that should allready be there since no matter how hard blizz try there are bad people out there that try even harder to make life frustrating for the rest of us. I appreciate the fact they gave me the option to add more security and that the low cost of an actual hardware item being sent to me was a bargain. In the 8 years i have seen many many attempts at trying to get me to put my details into a fake websites (fake emails or whispers from hackers in game) that looks identical to blizz website bar the address, all for a free mount or the like. And i have seen a couple of guild members get hacked this way as well. Thats nots bizz's fault. And in the Last 2 years the attempts in game have been much much lower and not often do i see posts in trade trying to sell gold. I think they have adressed the issue quite well and dont deserve this case against them imo.
 
You mean they are doing the right thing by SELLING authenticators for a game you have bought, a server you are paying per month, when it is their job to provide measures free of charge against account hack? Looks like you are just one of the people that have been totally "incorporated" into all this multimillion abuse.

When I played rift planes of telara and my account was hacked (though i never subscribed to forums or guild forums etc etc) it took them 2 weeks to have my account restored BUT that was not the only thing they did FREE OF CHARGE for their consumers. Their new authenticator also incorporated a nice system that did not allow any ip range other than the one that created the account to have access to your account. I had several account hack attempts after that and they were all unsuccessful as the hacker was automatically blocked, my account was blocked and the company would send a new authentication code right into my email so i could use to to unblock my account ingame. That was free of charge. My subscription account was hacked, my ingame account was hacked but they could not hack my email account. Now that is what i call ingame security. And it cost the consumers NOTHING. Plus the fact that the company apologised for the hacks and gave their consumers a free month.

Blizzard has to deal with millions of people and that means nothing more than MONEY and income to them. THat company has absolutely NO respect for their customers. But I guess those that want to play the game and pay for any suffering that they encounter deserve it.
 
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