Playstation 4 and your real name

[warpus]

What's the status of the steambox? Or whatever it's going to be called? I'd imagine that to be a bit more consumer friendly.

I own a PS3, but only because it was on sale and I wanted a blue ray player.. and at the time blue ray players cost just about the same.. I have no plans to buy the PS4, only because I'm not really big on console gaming. Privacy issues are important to me as well, but I haven't thought about this too much and don't know enough to really have a stance.

 

[AlpsStranger]

Lol, I just read about how you might be able to use facial recognition on the Playstation Eye to "unlock" your account when you walk up to the thing. I know, they "probably don't upload your facial profile." BS, all I have on that is their word.

Dystopian cyberpunk ick factor is now code red. Repeat, code red.

Damnit, console, just put games on the screen and leave me alone

EDIT: Laugh at me now, but just wait until you're staring down the barrel of Microfacegooglesoftbooksony, and when they are the handler of your medical records.

 

[Goodfella]

Lol, I just read about how you might be able to use facial recognition on the Playstation Eye to "unlock" your account when you walk up to the thing. I know, they "probably don't upload your facial profile." BS, all I have on that is their word.

Dystopian cyberpunk ick factor is now code red. Repeat, code red.

Damnit, console, just put games on the screen and leave me alone

EDIT: Laugh at me now, but just wait until you're staring down the barrel of Microfacegooglesoftbooksony.

That's pretty creepy.

 

[squadbroken]

So you guys have a right to use Sony's products and Sony's network on your own terms?

If you want to play with Sony's stuff, you have to play by their rules. If you don't want to tell Sony your name, you don't buy a PS4. Problem solved.

Alternatively, I could buy a PS4 and lie about who I am. Not that I have any interest in Sony's latest piece of trash.

I don't have to play by their rules unless they can enforce them.

 

[Akka]

So you guys have a right to use Sony's products and Sony's network on your own terms?

Hello, "consumer rights", does it ring a bell or does some libertarian wet dream took over reality when I wasn't looking ?

 

[AlpsStranger]

I find that people either strongly agree with me or lash out on this topic. It's quite apparently a very hot issue.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I don't interest in Playstation 4, really, but privacy is an issue for me.

 

[downtown]

Mainly for Downtown: Okay, I'll confess to what's "up with" me just so there's no doubt. I'm not that sociable, guilty as charged. I'm prickly, paranoid, socially awkward, and I like to keep my socialization down to levels I can manage. I'm hypersensitive to what other people think of me ( though I try to work on that. ) Gaming has, for much of my life, been a way for me to be social without being exposed. I've used it as a form of social interaction that didn't freak me out as much as chatting on Facebook all day would. Okay, so you got me. I'm that horrible guy you all think I am.

So I now feel like my little private space, the part of my existence that let me recharge and temporarily take respite from what is probably something like social anxiety disorder, is starting to slowly crack. Do you see what I mean Downtown? If you're comfortable in your own skin and are super sociable and socially networked then hats off to you. I truly envy you.

But can you at least try to imagine it from my point of view? I can't live up there under the stagelights, it's just not in my nature. It's beyond me entirely. If gaming becomes part of the "social network" then I will just have to walk away from it entirely. Surely it's not wrong of me to want a place where I can unwind without feeling stressed out and yet still have some level of interaction with ohers.

Sure, I can imagine that, and I'm not necisarrily saying that you're a bad guy for that or anything.

If you're using the 'freedom from social pressures" to deliberately be a dick to people, then yeah, I think gaming would be improved without those people. I don't like that I can't play basketball online with my wife in the room lest I get all the U FAG type messages from teenage sociopaths. I can't imagine how much worse it would be if I was a woman.

If you aren't, and you're just really terrified of your name being attached to anything, I think that fear is irrational, but I can acknowledge it exists. I guess that's what PC gaming is for, but man, if that is such a big stressor, there is a lot in life that's going to keep you freaked out I think.

Hello, "consumer rights", does it ring a bell or does some libertarian wet dream took over reality when I wasn't looking ?

What part of the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection mandates a right to consumer privacy? So long as the consumer is correctly informed about what would happen to their data should they make the purchase, AND that the good is a luxury good and not a basic utility, whats there to beat the rights drum over?

 

[God of Kings]

Yes, we may be anonymous on the forums, but the forum staff have access to our IP addresses.

I am a former gamer, as I am very disillusioned by modern-day gaming.

 

[BvBPL]

People keep harping on their right to privacy. You certainly do have a right to privacy, but you can trade that right away. Your privacy is a commodity that you can trade to other parties. Apparently, the cost to play on Sony's new system is to trade off some portion of your privacy rights.

Now all of use are informed of this fact. We can now make intelligent decisions about whether or not we want to use Sony's products.

 

[AlpsStranger]

Now all of use are informed of this fact. We can now make intelligent decisions about whether or not we want to use Sony's products.

Oh, I'm totally not going to buy it BvBPL. I want it, but not half bad enough to give up something I consider almost sacred. If I can't give up a few games for the cause I certainly can't claim to be much of a rebel

The thing that scares me is that next time I have to make this decision it might not be something I would like, but something I need.

If you aren't, and you're just really terrified of your name being attached to anything, I think that fear is irrational, but I can acknowledge it exists. I guess that's what PC gaming is for, but man, if that is such a big stressor, there is a lot in life that's going to keep you freaked out I think.

Oh, believe me, I know. I admit I should probably change, ideally, I just don't think I can. Do you see what I mean? I admit the problem is me to a certain extent.

It's worth noting that, for now, they do seem to be allowing you the option of playing anonymously, they just sort of frown on it and want to denormalize it. I'm sure you still can play anonymously, I think it's going to be made as awkward as possible though.

Yes, we may be anonymous on the forums, but the forum staff have access to our IP addresses.

I am a former gamer, as I am very disillusioned by modern-day gaming.

Oh, I know. I'm not under any delusion that I'm completely hidden or anything. Still, the status quo right now is a far, far stretch away from having my real name in big letters all the time.

 

[illram]

Hello, "consumer rights", does it ring a bell or does some libertarian wet dream took over reality when I wasn't looking ?

You absolutely have the right as a consumer to never buy a PS4.

 

[Oerdin]

First Facebook, then YouTube, now this. Why are they so keen on getting our names?

Mostly because it controls the trolls or at least people don't act quite so poorly if their real name is listed on the bottom line. Several newspapers websites and blogging sites now require it if someone wants to leave a comment. I know when my local newspaper put such a policy in effect suddenly all the racist trolls disappeared.

 

[AlpsStranger]

If people want real name networks that's fine. I don't, and I won't participate. It really has to be that simple, doesn't it?

I'll save the super outrage for when/if they try to make the entire internet real name only. But that day has not yet come, so I will try to relax.

 

[ace99]

Be glad you don't live in South Korea.

 

[AlpsStranger]

Actually, that law was struck down IIRC.

 

[Akka]

You absolutely have the right as a consumer to never buy a PS4.

Guess you don't even understand what a consumer right is then.

 

[Zelig]

Guess you don't even understand what a consumer right is then.

Are you American? Americans don't really have those things.

 

[AlpsStranger]

Guess you don't even understand what a consumer right is then.

Are you American? Americans don't really have those things.

It's funny. I whined incessantly about the possibility of video game violence regulation. Now, if I had to choose a country with no violence regulation or a country with violence regulation that also had privacy regulation Makes me wonder which concern I should prioritize.

Unfortunately, that might be the situation I'm looking at. In a "wild west" country like the USA I can have all the violent content I want, but I have absolutely no protection from things like mandatory real names. Most of the countries that have consumer rights to privacy almost certainly also interfere with content. Son of a

The danger isn't some kind of clumsy South Korea style legislation forcing you to have a global internet ID. That probably won't really happen. The danger is that everywhere you want to go will be "Login with Facebook!" The back-end market wants everyone IDed because it saves them a lot of legal trouble, etc. I think a good chunk ( maybe even still a slight majority ) still like to have the option of not being in full "Facebook" mode on every site they visit, but they can be pressured with conveniences and perks. Eventually, the majority of remaining pseudonymous users really will be trolls, and those of us who simply have old fashioned ideas about privacy/anonymity will be guilty by association.

 

[BvBPL]

I would appreciate it if you could expand upon what, exactly, is the danger involved here. With a system like “log in w/ Facebook” active on a variety of sites users would accrue a variety of benefits, such as:

• Fewer trolls (as newspaper websites have demonstrated)
• More convenience to the user w/ fewer logins to remember
• Cross-Platform chatter (“Hey, I saw your post on CFC that you are active on Hungry Mouse’s page too; did you see the great duck recipe they posted there?”)
• A unified online presence

And what’s the cost? Your online anonymity. Not even your privacy, just your anonymity. You don’t need to share any information w/ anybody except you name.

If you don’t like that then why do you value your anonymity so highly?