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General discussion (archive)Privacy Concern: GOG sending order details to Google(151 posts)(151 posts)
(151 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted March 30, 2012
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Tormentfan: Dude, you can't do ANYTHING on the net without Google knowing your movements, just about every piece of traffic goes through them.
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Poulscath: Google are not the Panopticon.

Yet.
Have you never watched the the links that you visit and/or get data from in the bottom of your browser screen when you load a page.. if it's not Google then it's some advertising firm, you never get just the link you want to go to.
Post edited March 30, 2012 by Tormentfan
Posted March 30, 2012
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OldFatGuy: It's revealed that a company is sharing personal order information
This is what's in disupte. I don't consider the order ID to be personal, and Google doesn't have access to GOG's database which links that order ID to my personal info.
Posted March 30, 2012
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keeveek: To be serious, it would be nice to hear some explanation: why google analytics, and what data is collected in general.
Yes, it would be nice.

After all, its pity to see more an more pages are using such "evil" outer scripts. Before latest "redesign" it was enough for me to allow "gog.com" at NoScript and I had clean and nice page. Now three more scripts/pages are "sending" me alerts every time when I am visiting gog.com: google, tweeter and facebook.

Real pity.
Posted March 30, 2012
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Tormentfan: Have you never watched the the links that you visit and/or get data from in the bottom of your browser screen when you load a page.. if it's not Google then it's some advertising firm, you never get just the link you want to go to.
Yeah, that's why I run Ghostery and Adblock+

Ghostery blocked four trackers on this page alone.
Posted March 30, 2012
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kodeen: This is what's in disupte. I don't consider the order ID to be personal, and Google doesn't have access to GOG's database which links that order ID to my personal info.
True, Google does not have access to your GOG database but it has access to your gmail, youtube etc. accounts if you have any. As OP said before it is enough that you are logged into any google service and google will recognize you and "add" your order to your account data there.
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Poulscath: Ghostery blocked four trackers on this page alone.
I do not know if Ghostery's situation has changed recently but months ago there was a lot of warning about this plugin so I stopped using it. Just a word of warning for you.
Post edited March 30, 2012 by Lexor
Posted March 30, 2012
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Mindless: OPs complaint looks legit to me.
On the other hand you are just mindless person...
Posted March 30, 2012
Adblock, Noscropt, Ghosty -- and many others -- are why I use Firefox with plenty of plugins. Google Analytics is perpetually blocked.
Posted March 30, 2012
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mqstout: Adblock, Noscropt, Ghosty -- and many others -- are why I use Firefox with plenty of plugins. Google Analytics is perpetually blocked.
Is Ghosty shorter name of Ghostery for you or is it something else / similar?
Posted March 30, 2012
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OldFatGuy: It's revealed that a company is sharing personal order information without consent, and what do most posters do?? DEFEND THE COMPANY!!! OF COURSE THEY DO!!! They're providing GAMES and ENTERTAINMENT and that's what we want and who cares what companies and governments know about you.
I hope you don't have a citizenship or the government probably knows that you exist!
Posted March 30, 2012
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mqstout: Adblock, Noscropt, Ghosty -- and many others -- are why I use Firefox with plenty of plugins. Google Analytics is perpetually blocked.
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Lexor: Is Ghosty shorter name of Ghostery for you or is it something else / similar?
I'm wondering this too. :)
Posted March 30, 2012
I think the OP has a valid point in the simple fact that GOG specifically states in it's privacy policy that "We do not share your personal details with outside third parties without your consent."

Whether that information holds any value is only partially relevant. The fact is, none of us gave our explicit consent for them to send our information to Google, no matter how insensitive you consider that information to be.

However, when you actually read GOG's privacy policy carefully, while this stuff isn't explicitly stated, it is somewhat alluded to, assuming GA is what they are talking about when they mention "web beacons". However, it wouldn't be obvious to an average user that talking about "use of web beacons" equates to passing information about your orders to Google.

In fact, to be honest, I'm more concerned by properly reading GOG's privacy policy than I am about this thread. Not that there is anything exceptionally grotesque about it, but it doesn't seem any better than Steam, Origin et al. I expected it to be super awesome, and it isn't.

It also DOES specifically state that "we save certain "traffic data" including your IP address", which it claims is to track traffic on it's own website. Clearly, they don't need to save people's IP's just to count hits.

Another one that bothers me is this: "We do reserve the right to use or disclose your personal information in certain circumstances". They then go on to site two fairly reasonable examples of such use. However, clearly the wording isn't limited to those examples, and in fact means that they reserve the right to use or disclose your info as they see fit. I like to think they would use this power responsibly and that it's nothing to worry about, but again, it's far from the shining beacon of awesomeness that I expected from such a generally awesome company.

I will be interested to see what the official response to this thread is.
Posted March 30, 2012
This topic and its content is also relevant to my interests. As a customer I hope a staff member will take this up at some point to clarify what when and why. (:
Post edited March 30, 2012 by Stockpile
Posted March 30, 2012
I have to wonder if the devs just used the google api because it's convenient and without mentioning it, and now the legal & PR people are running around in circles trying to figure out how to handle this. When they're not screaming of course...
Post edited March 30, 2012 by Poulscath
Posted March 30, 2012
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MonstaMunch: I think the OP has a valid point in the simple fact that GOG specifically states in it's privacy policy that "We do not share your personal details with outside third parties without your consent."
Order value per some random order number, without attributing it to any user ID/number/name, is not a "personal details" by any standards. This is an anonymized stat, so no, the OP doesn't have a valid point.

The problem is quite different here - is Google maliciously using this anonymous GOG.com data by linking it to certain Google Accounts. Technically Google can do it via user IP and/or cookies for their services, but this is something that GOG doesn't have any control over and Google claims they don't do it unless you explicitly agree to share your Analytics data with their other services.

But, you can also assume that Facebook and Twitter know of your every move whenever you visit a page that includes a Like/Follow link. Like the one you're currently on. If you don't like such possibility, my recommendation is that you DO NOT use accounts at companies you do not trust with your data and sit behind an anonymizing proxy.
Posted March 30, 2012
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MonstaMunch: I think the OP has a valid point in the simple fact that GOG specifically states in it's privacy policy that "We do not share your personal details with outside third parties without your consent."
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d2t: Order value per some random order number, without attributing it to any user ID/number/name, is not a "personal details" by any standards. This is an anonymized stat, so no, the OP doesn't have a valid point.

The problem is quite different here - is Google maliciously using this anonymous GOG.com data by linking it to certain Google Accounts.
That's not the issue by a long shot. The issue here is disclosure, which evidently hasn't been provided. You may not mind people storing and sharing your IP address at their discression, but others might. They have a right to make an informed decision.

And yes, I would like any details of financial transactions I make not to be passed on to third parties without my direct and explicit knowledge, even if you don't care.....

If someone gets your IP and your order numbers as well as info on what games you are ordering, they can find out what city you are located in, who your ISP is, and have a direct route in for gaming related phishing scams. Is that a legitimate concern? Maybe, maybe not, but you don't get to answer that for everyone.


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d2t: But, you can also assume that Facebook and Twitter know of your every move whenever you visit a page that includes a Like/Follow link. Like the one you're currently on. If you don't like such possibility, my recommendation is that you DO NOT use accounts at companies you do not trust with your data and sit behind an anonymizing proxy.
And this is my point. You may think TwitFace is cool and fine, I don't, which is why I don't have an account with either, and never will. Again, that was my decision to make, not yours, and not anyone else's.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussion (archive)Privacy Concern: GOG sending order details to Google(151 posts)(151 posts)
(151 posts)