World of Warcraft: Difference between revisions
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===Warden anti-cheat (''2005'')=== | ===Warden anti-cheat (''2005'')=== | ||
:''Further reading: [https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Warden_(software) Warcraft Wiki: Warden (software)]'', ''{{Wplink| | :''Further reading: [https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Warden_(software) Warcraft Wiki: Warden (software)]'', ''{{Wplink|MDY Industries, LLC v. Blizzard_Entertainment, Inc.}}'' | ||
In 2005, it came to light that Blizzard Entertainment was utilizing an in-house anti-cheat program when the video game company filed an infringement lawsuit against MDY Industries, LLC, who sold a {{Wplink|Video game bot|botting program}} called {{Wplink|Glider (bot)|Glider}}. The legal filings were the first time that Blizzard acknowledged both the anti-cheat's existence and its official name (Warden). The {{Wplink|Electronic Frontier Foundation}} (EFF) denounced Warden as [[spyware]] due to the lack of transparency and concerns over the privacy and retention of collected data.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ward |first=Mark |title=Warcraft game maker in spying row |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4385050.stm |website=BBC News |date=31 Oct 2005 |access-date=17 Oct 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051103043944/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4385050.stm |archive-date=3 Nov 2005}}</ref> | In 2005, it came to light that Blizzard Entertainment was utilizing an in-house anti-cheat program when the video game company filed an infringement lawsuit against MDY Industries, LLC, who sold a {{Wplink|Video game bot|botting program}} called {{Wplink|Glider (bot)|Glider}}. The legal filings were the first time that Blizzard acknowledged both the anti-cheat's existence and its official name (Warden). The {{Wplink|Electronic Frontier Foundation}} (EFF) denounced Warden as [[spyware]] due to the lack of transparency and concerns over the privacy and retention of collected data.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ward |first=Mark |title=Warcraft game maker in spying row |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4385050.stm |website=BBC News |date=31 Oct 2005 |access-date=17 Oct 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051103043944/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4385050.stm |archive-date=3 Nov 2005}}</ref> | ||
===Real ID (''2010'')=== | ===Real ID (''2010'')=== | ||
Real ID was a change introduced by Blizzard, where players would use their real first and last name when posting on WoW forums (instead of their preferred WoW character, as it was before). Originally announced as optional, it was quickly changed to obligatory, with Blizzard arguing it to be a vital step for reducing toxicity in the gaming community. Community push-back was massive and united, with many citing privacy threats as the main concern. Blizzard initially tried to downplay the danger, even banning several people, but eventually buckled under the pressure. Then-CEO Mike Morhaime declared that, following user feedback, using Real ID to post on the forums would not be required.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yin-Poole |first=Wesley |title=Blizzard scraps Real ID for its forums |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/blizzard-scraps-real-id-for-its-forums |website=EuroGamer |date=9 Jul 2010 |access-date=14 Apr 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250828164928/https://www.eurogamer.net/blizzard-scraps-real-id-for-its-forums |archive-date=28 Aug 2025}}</ref> | |||
===Major data loss (''2024'')=== | ===Major data loss (''2024'')=== | ||