[holymoly]

The software is designed to hunt for cheat-ware, but reads the title headings of any window open, regardless of its relation to WoW.

Hmmmm. I wonder if Diablo 2/LoD uses this? It might explain how they've caught players using Maphack.

[Crazieman]

Some explanation.

No data is being transferred between your computer and Blizzard while the Warden is watching.

The Warden is simply a program with a very specific checklist. If it find a title of a window in conjunction with a couple of lines in the file to see if it is one of the programs that violate Blizzard's EULA.

If it finds something, it simply sends a report of time, date, account name, and violating software.

Since it is scanning active memory, you could have every WoW hack to date on your hard drive, but it wouldn't do anything if you weren't running them.

If anyone has any history of past Blizzard games, you would know the hacking history. From Diablo to Starcraft to Diablo 2. Diablo online was nearly destroyed from hacking programs.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

there's a fairly disturbing trend that seems to make it acceptable for companies to gather information on their customers without the say-so of the customer. Sure, Microsoft and Blizzard may not be collecting the unrelated e-mail and headings of every window you have open on your system, at least not in long term storage, but they're setting the precedent for others to do it.

More importantly, it might be illegal for you to stop them:

It is illegal in U.S. law to actively attempt to circumvent a company's security systems.

Many EULAs authorize licensors to collect a great deal of user information--and the fact that it is done in advance, as a blanket permission and SOMETIMES deliberately buried in the fine print, is lost on a lot of unsuspecting people. Microsoft's EULAs and licensing system is notably invasive and encroaching. If THE POWERS THAT WANNA-BE got to dissect Microsoft someday a la the Ma Bell antitrust breakup scenario and/or the infamous takeover and operation of the old Mustang Ranch by the Feds...Big Brother might just have his IT division in Redmond...thus we must prevent Hillary and her UN ilk from control of such.

[solitas]

ping

See all the stuff we're missing-out on? :)

[thoughtomator]

It's probably fully authorized by the product EULA (if not their lawyers suck).

[beebuster2000]

I have found blizzard pretty good. in game gold spammng and other stuff is a problem and they are always responsive and right on it. WOW is an amazing game, but it only works cause blizard polices it in every way, in game behavior, spam and hacks.

i guess i would be worried if there was some evidence the info they gathered was abused in some way, but i dont think there is.

(blizzard: you watching? did you get that?)