The question “does Apple sell your data to third party brokers?” is a valid question. Why? Because the contractor Blizzard hired does say they may sell the data to third party brokers.
True, I skipped a lot of posts. I do that when it reaches too many for me to catch up on while I do other things. My sincere apologies. Annoys the hell out of me when people do that to me.
If you covered it, fine. Maybe I’ll go back looking for it, if I remain that interested. But there’s no defending Blizzard’s choice here. I understand they wanted to streamline the process. I approve. I understand they wanted to know what drew the best crowds. I’m okay with that, if they give the option for folks to opt out. I understand that advertisers want to know what people found interesting. Again, I’m okay with that if there’s an option for folks to opt out. Other than that, I object.
To folks who don’t realize it, your phone tags you everywhere you go in stores. Those beacons are EVERYWHERE. Think of a store and it has them. Those coupon dispensers in stores? They have them built in. So not only do they know where you are and when, they know if YOU took that coupon for Old Spice deodorant.
I never said it wasn’t valid. I said it had zero to do with the discussion I was having with someone else. Because that wasn’t part of their argument.
And if Apple told you they were selling it like this company does, it would be legal. Whether we like it or not is an entirely different argument and has zero to do with the definition of spyware.
I never once defended Blizz’s choice. I even said they should’ve used their own stuff and created their own system using their own app.
This is why the argument you’re trying to have with me is futile. I know a lot gets lost in the hundreds of replies. Difficult to find it all.
Seriously… You are on hyper defensive mode. I apologized. The statement you quoted wasn’t DIRECTED at you, it was an in general blanket comment. But okay. You still feel I was attacking you.
Everybody just needs to chill. It’s not always an attack. Gods help me.
If this doesn’t worry you, please post your real name, address, credit card number and security pin here. Sorry, but anyone installing this kind of garbage is a complete fool.
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Many large corporations practice this type of intrusive data mining of their customers. What bothers me about this is that Blizzard doesn’t seem to mind subjecting and treating they’re customers like this!
Shame on you Blizzard! This isn’t how we want to be treated. This isn’t right and you know it!
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… I know? That’s why I said I know a lot gets lost and it’s difficult to find in all of the replies. I was backing you up in how it’s not easy to follow or find everything. I wasn’t being defensive at all.
O.o
I was just giving you all of the info you had missed from my other posts so you could see what I meant. Nothing more than that. ![:woman_shrugging:t2:](https://d38bqls1q93fod.cloudfront.net/en/wow/images/emoji/twitter/woman_shrugging/2.png?v=6" ":woman_shrugging:t2:")
This is what I don’t understand, if this happens then wouldn’t Blizz be exposing themselves to the potential of a massive barrage of lawsuits that would cost them potentially tens of millions if there is even one security breach?
Install an app to access the security entrance…acceptable
Install an app to be monitored during the con AND give access to all the phone data, contacts, emails, credit cards, websites visited, bookmarks, apps names installed, constantly running and being able to turn on and off services even in airplane mode then communicating with third party servers IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
This has nothing to do with the fact that other apps ask for same access. This has to do with the fact that Blizzard decided to use a third party to make sure they do not lose revenues because some people used to shared badges while not telling their customers all the privacy issues with that third party.
As a European myself I am interested to see how this is going to fly with the GDPR rules and regulations that expressively forbids this type of access demands from apps for all EU residents or people from the EU.
Under the idea to be able to see where people spend their time in the con, Blizzard hired a 3rd party that will provide this data to them and allow less fraud at the entrance but at the same time will basically phone home any information contained on the phone because people are stupid enough to allow the apps to access anything.
A blizzard app would have been fine since they already know everything about you and don t resell but a 3rd party isn t acceptable. If I was going there and I haven’t for the last 2 cons because honestly they sucked then I would not have used a phone at all.
If I had gone I would tell them at the entrance: Sorry but I work for the government and your third party app is not allowed on the list of approved apps I can run.
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Yup. It was stupid of them not to just make it part of the authenticator app.
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THIS a couple hundred times until you finished grinding the “WTF where you thinking” rep
$50 says this is because they got the service for free because AXS knows they can offer the service for free while reselling the data they will gather
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Most likely. It’s why Ticketmaster and Live Nation have such high surcharges-- that’s what pays for their stuff, not selling info.
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So in summary buy a burner for getting in and light the thing on fire the second you are done getting your ticket?
Jesus christ I honestly didn’t think Blizz could one up the phone nonsense from last Blizzcon but they sure looked at that minor mess of a non issue and knocked back several cases of beer for this one.
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Blizzard probably will get all the data for free. If they really negotiated it right, maybe they’ll even get a cut of whatever the contractor can get when they sell it to third parties? lol
What makes you think blizzard actually gives a sh8t about you outside what games your following on Safari or whatever…
If anything I would say this software may help prevent “terrorist” or “nationalist” (lolol) attacks which are so prominent in the US via tracking trigger words and suspicicious behavior.
The NSA already has access to EVERYTHING you do… but guess what, unless you’re doing some illegal sh*t, you wont be triggering words/phrases that cause actual surveillance activity. Basically, surveillance is there, but none of you are special, and no one cares to ACTUALLY survey you.
Market data is market data, your safeway/vons/cvs/giant number tracks the same sort of “personal” information.
The app states that much information taken is NOT associated with your private identity, it’s in the terms; read it.
Maybe stop being so “muh privacy”, and realize you’re not special and they don’t care about you as an individual.
They care about market data. You’re not special, the data regarding the market data and shopping habits of a million of you may be though. And that’s all this is…
“Oh when cheetos went on sale more people bought and searched them”
Not “check out marks wife’s rack in this homemade video he made”
Youre not special, your life isn’t special, no one cares about you, just your money; they can’t steal it from you, just figure out how to get you to spend it.
I believe the AXS app is being used because of the type of AXS ticket Blizzard is using for this event.
AXS offers two types of tickets - e-ticket and Flash Mobile. E-ticket tickets come with a PDF attached to the ticket email that you can use to get in to the event it is a ticket for. Flash mobile tickets requires the app to use.
I believe it is the Flash Mobile style of ticket that Blizzard are using here. A mate of mine has advised me that the ticket uses a dynamic QR code that changes every few seconds so has to be scanned from the phone when entering an event.
If it’s a randomly changing QR code that would explains the need for network access - they would need access to maintain a connection with the AXS servers in order to validate the QR code on your ticket at the exact time of it being scanned.
It also explains the need for the camera permissions - from the scant google research I’ve done it seems QR readers on Android require it (don’t quote me on that as I’m not an Android dev … also actual android programmers feel free to correct me!)
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AXS is literally phone cancer, the amount of shills in this thread trying to defend it are frightening.
“Oh ALL mobile apps are like this”
Hahahahaha, no. Literally take a rusty fork and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine. This is so incredibly false.
Stop being okay with handing over all your privacy, it’s pathetic.
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As for the spyware claims , while the app does ask for a scary amount of permissions I have yet to see any concrete proof that it is spyware.
Which to me would be looking at the files it saves and changes on the phone to see if personal data is being saved on the phone and then from there proving that personal data is being transmitted.
What we really need is someone to take one for the team. Get a burner phone. Fill it with fake personal information. Install the usual apps and load fake social media profiles on them. Fill the phone with public domain clip art images.
Then install say Lineage OS then it’s Privacy Guard. Install Wireshark for Android. And install the AXS ticketing app.
Then go to the AXS site and pay for tickets to a local sports game in your area. This should set you back $8 or so. Then use the AXS app to go to that event.
Throughout the process use Privacy Guard so you can see the number of times each permission was requested. Use Wireshark to confirm what data is going out and to which IP addresses.
What would be interesting to me is to see what happens if you deny access to a particular permission - does the app not allow you to scan your ticket to get into the event ?
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I get it, you don’t want blizz to know you watch tentacle “stuff”; but don’t you love stormsong valley? I mean, come on
Forgot to address something else :
The Flash Mobile thing also explains why they are not allowing print outs of QR codes this year - if the code changes every few seconds there is no point in printing your ticket out.
It also explains why the Solutions Desk can help - they probably have a way of manually confirming your AXS ticket to get your badge done.