Ubisoft in-game data collection GDPR complaint (2025)
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Ubisoft forces users to be connected to the internet, even in single-player games, and collects data without consent nor prior notice.
Background
On Thursday 24 of April 2025, NOYB — an Austrian privacy protection organization — has filled a complaint against Ubisoft — a French company that develops, publishes, and distributes video games — regarding its illegal collecting and usage of players' personal data.
Consumer Response
Near the end of September 2024, an anonymous user of Ubisoft noticed that they could not launch a single-player video game that he owned without first connecting to the internet. He also noticed that the data controller was collecting data about him during his gaming session[1].
The complainant, who is “tech-savvy” according to NOYB, simultaneously monitors the network traffic associated with Far Cry Primal and finds that his game is sending packets to remote servers. He mentions 150 connections in the space of ten minutes and identifies Google, Amazon, and Datadog[1][2][3].
But before asking NOYB, the data subject contacted the controller’s customer support, asking about his findings and that they tell him why are they using his personal data. Unfortunately, Ubisoft did not answer completely to his question, only saying that his data is collected to verify ownership of the game and never mentions why Google is one of the third parties.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Laurent, Alexandre (2025-04-25). "Mandatory connection for single-player games: Ubisoft sued for non-compliance with the GDPR".
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ NOYB (2025-04-24). "Like to play alone? Ubisoft is still watching you!".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ NOYB, NOYB (2025-04-24). "Lawsuit PDF" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)