Admins - is getting stats from the "player database" cheating or not?

[Green Drake]

I stopped reading at "idiotic."

If you're not actually reading my posts, I won't bother responding to you.

That would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

[bald zeemer]

I said, for any tool like this the acceptability under TOS should be very clear and explicit.

I believe it is very clear. And it is clear that it is not, in fact, against TOS. You dismissed my reasoning because you find the database morally objectionable (not in itself a position I disagree with).

Surely what you really mean is that you believe this should be against TOS, and clearly stated as such within TOS.

I also rejected your novel argument later that the tool doesn't matter, because top 3 syndicates are rich enough (basically) to not need it anyway. What contradiction you discern between these two statements I cannot begin to fathom. Frankly, there is none.

You claimed that the information within the database had a significant effect on the game. I pointed out that extensive and invasive use of the database could have yielded pretty much the same information that everyone with access to the database had already. Hence, the database was not at all game changing. (In fact, I would argue it had very close to no effect whatsoever - which is why it was abandoned so quickly).

More to the point, when I know that this kind of access is possible, and that bad uses are not protected against, I want to know what the admins and company make of it, even though the great ones say they are pure as the driven snow

You're far, far closer to the real issue, now.

As I stated much earlier in the thread, the problem is that all this data is being sent out at all (along with other, far more sensitive data, which is sent out in tickets). Gree needs to solve it's data issues. That is a stone-cold fact. Gree most certainly do not need to continue their lax practices and patch up the aftermath with ad hoc misapplication of the TOS.

[zwiswoo]

Has ANYONE here tried to argue that the mods shouldn't say something? A few people have said that green drake is an idiot for making such a big deal out of this, but that's not even close to the same thing.

Sorry that you feel my questioning information being made public is idiotic.

I stopped reading at "idiotic." If you're not actually reading my posts, I won't bother responding to you.

That is rather slippery of you Agent Starling. Reading quickly, one did surmise that you were calling Drake an idiot. In fact you were registering your strong, though subtle, protest at others unfairly calling Drake that. That, or you're producing logic and sentence chopping at levels unusual even for you.

[sister morphine]

I believe it is very clear. And it is clear that it is not, in fact, against TOS.

TOS, like any legal document is only applicable to things as they stood at the time of writing, and possibilities which had come to the attention of the persons writing them.

If a data mining tool did not, then it could be considered an oversight and TOS needs updating to take it into account.

I'll just say that I agree totally with your previous post that Gree's sending out of unencrypted data is the real issue at stake here. That is what needs correcting.

[Max Power]

IBTL

All your data are belong to us.

[Dipstik]

Actually, I thought it was you that said the "idiotic" thing. Yeah, Green Drake really is an idiot. I take back my previous comment.

[sister morphine]

IBTL

All your data are belong to us.

The security sensitive info routinely sent out with every email to and from support most certainly doesn't.

[MattThomas08]

The fact you claim he is one of the games top players shows how little you actually know.

Hey wait just a minute.

[Butt Futter]

Hey wait just a minute.

MT, I'd put you at least in the top 4000.

[MattThomas08]

MT, I'd put you at least in the top 4000.

Thanks BF. Considering there are hundreds of thousands of players, that's gotta be upper 1%!

Besides, I'd like to imagine nobody has reached 1 mil stats much lower than L113

[Butt Futter]

Thanks BF. Considering there are hundreds of thousands of players, that's gotta be upper 1%!

Besides, I'd like to imagine nobody has reached 1 mil stats much lower than L113

You set the standard for all hackers to top!

[Ragmondino]

Hey wait just a minute.

You know I love you son..
But anyone putting an account in a top 3 will get them stats before long..
My KA are 1.5mil at level 93
Pokes my tongue out at your meagre stats.

[Swedevil]

Lets go Defense Attorney on this...
This information was used to 'clean up and keep the wrong people out of top syndicates' (or the few that used it at least), correct?
So, being that you are keeping the 'wrong players' - hackers, cheaters, time travelers, and whatnot; you yourself have crossed over the line to help clean up the game. This would be similar to a police officer going out and finding rapist in his off time and punishing him himself. Better yet, obtaining proof that was not gathered under reasonable aspects and eluding the rights set forth - even the criminals have those rights, to obtain this information and then putting him on the top of the suspect list or even turning what he found over to the DA for prosecution. These methods are often refereed to as "fruit of the poisonous tree". This in fact has affect the the cheaters, hackers, whatever else by exposing them and not allowing them in your syndicate by gaining evidence or fruit of the poisonous tree.

There have been in fact a few cases where one of these cheaters/hackers/or whatever were banned mid war. This is something that Gree does and is obviously procedure for them. These banned players during war then become a feast for anyone that wants to hit them as it's a guaranteed win and normally giving pretty decent Influence Points.

Thus, by using this information, you have now affected the cheater/hacker, the 59 other players on your syndicate and the thousands of players that would have a chance to hit this person during a war.

We can go another route and claim that you have affected another syndicate indirectly by pushing this person away and not warning everyone else so now this person goes to another syndicate that doesn't use these outside and improper methods to expose people. So now all 59 people on this syndicate are now affected by your turning away the cheater/hacker because you had information that you should never have been able to access.

If you want to be the self proclaimed savior of Crime City, think about this - a mob boss killing another mob boss will still get the same punishment according to your laws because its not WHO you commit the crime against, it's the fact that the murder was made. 2 wrongs do not make a right!

Don't ever hire my butt to defend you...if you're in the wrong, wear your scarlet letter.

On another note, I do now what information is collected because I was given a screen shot of ALL the information on me.

[the_dude]

Tldr...........

[Ragmondino]

It's a game. Not a court case.
People take this game way to seriously