WhoTookMyName Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Pro-tip: If a person has never seen you, face-to-face, then there is no way they could be your friend. LOL, my wife always says "Are you going to play with your little internet friends tonight"? No! Gawd, Shuttup, they are Guildies! How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling them little internet friends! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeBlueMedic Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I can certainly understand everyone else's views on this, but I have to agree with the OP. I know that someone knowing your real name probably is not going to hurt anything, but it should be our choice whether or not we publish that information. And before any ******** replies saying "You do have a choice, don't send invites." That is missing the point completely. I have plenty of people that I have played previous games with that I would be more than happy to send an invite to because I consider them online friends. Does that mean I want all of my online friends to know who I really am? Not really...Should it matter? Probably not, but it does to me, therefore it matters to me. I agree with you OP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terminova Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Pro-tip: If a person has never seen you, face-to-face, then there is no way they could be your friend. Pro-tip: you don't know what you're talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kubernetic Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 If you only know them online, they aren't your friend. They're an acquaintance. Absolutely. And I heard Acquaintance Invites weren't going to be available until at least 1.5 or later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferroz Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) A predictable reply...so everybody you know online and maybe like/play with knows your real name? Or you would only invite people that know your real name?It's for inviting actual friends. If you can't trust them with your name, they're not actual friends. Really, the only valid complaint is that they didn't warn you that it was going to happen. They really should do so. Edited March 9, 2012 by ferroz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackavaar Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I for one understand where you are coming from, Valhingen. I have many many online friends who do not know my real name. They know me only as Blackavaar and that is the way I would like to keep it in some cases as I have had some trouble with online stalkers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seronic_ Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 If you're afraid of people over the internet that you communicate with on a regular basis knowing your real name, i'm sorry, but you have a few problems. You've a right to privacy, thsu why there's the option to not send it at all. If you don't want people to know your name, don't send the information out. Although, I don't really understand why you are even concerned to begin with. One of the only reasons and I would be willing to bet a majority rule reason for wanting pure internet anonymousity is because rather than being the actual male you are in the real world, you create a fake persona of this attractive female gamer in an effort to either get gear, get free help whenever you ask for it, or... well, if it's for anything else, I don't know what to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tgrable Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I agree with the op. Bioware has 0 right to give out any of your personal information without your knowledge. No where in the Eula, ToS, or recruit a friend do they ask for permission or make you agree to give up your privacy to other parties outside of bioware/ea. So all the others in here arguing about friend vs w/e are trolls plain and simple. Recruit a friend is a marketing ploy seen all over the web to inspire players of the game to invite others for gain and to increase the games population. In no game has this ever provided the invitee with your personal information... your email yes. Your ingame name.. yes... a first name somtimes maybe.... but your full name? No way no how. Bioware is legally bound to keep your personal information safe. Their own eula and tos back this up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boldfury Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) I'm seriously loling @ the people saying "it's not acquaintance invite, it's friend invite". Most people that play various online video games have people in their "Friends Lists" who don't know their real names. Stop pretending that you don't understand what the OP means. On the other hand, it does say: "...invite up to three of your closest friends for a 7-day free trial." Edited March 9, 2012 by Boldfury Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackavaar Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) If you're afraid of people over the internet that you communicate with on a regular basis knowing your real name, i'm sorry, but you have a few problems. You've a right to privacy, thsu why there's the option to not send it at all. If you don't want people to know your name, don't send the information out. Although, I don't really understand why you are even concerned to begin with. One of the only reasons and I would be willing to bet a majority rule reason for wanting pure internet anonymousity is because rather than being the actual male you are in the real world, you create a fake persona of this attractive female gamer in an effort to either get gear, get free help whenever you ask for it, or... well, if it's for anything else, I don't know what to say. It was not stated anywhere that the friend invite would include any of your personal information, which includes your real name. Yes, you can choose not to send it out, but there was nothing to say that doing so would divulge such information. And just because that's the only reason you can think of doesn't mean that is the only possible reason there is to not want your true identity divulged to the people you are inviting to try an online game. Comprende, mi amigo? Edited March 9, 2012 by Blackavaar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magra Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 It sure is hard to keep saying you are a hot girl when the friend invite comes from Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjryx Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I'm not sure how anybody can argue it's not a privacy issue. It doesn't matter if the people I would invite (if I could, but since I'm still on my free 30 days I can't) are people that already know me. Heck, one invite would've gone to my wife. Privacy is a serious issue, and any disclosure of real identifying information without express consent from their players is a violation of privacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epus Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 As many people have said - so what? You're comfortable introducing yourself at parties, to friends of friends, perhaps dropping your business card in a fishbowl to get a free lunch, letting people know your name at work, etc. Statistically there's no more or less danger there than giving the same information to someone you "know" from online - say your guild or what not. Most everyone I game with knows my real name, first and last, and they are unique enough that you can find the exact apartment I live in, my phone number at work, etc. It's really not a big deal, people just make it out to be. Even if I were a woman I'd do the same thing (my wife does), because you can *gasp* call the cops on a stalker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adronis Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Your name is hardly considered privacy information, and I doubt is protected under any privacy law. Besides, I am sure the reason BW is doing this is to prevent people from selling the free trials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorin_Kass Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Therrak Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 you people dont understand how dangerous this is!!!!!! if bioware is giving people our true names, what if some of them are dragons and use our truenames to coerce, manipulate, or enchant us? What if some of them are dark wizards and use our true-names to mind control us? Or invade our minds? Giving out our true-names could get us killed and then they could get sued or something... This is the best reply in this thread. It illustrates the dangers of giving your name to whoever, or the danger of sniffing glue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kharnis Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 It sure is hard to keep saying you are a hot girl when the friend invite comes from Bob. Coffee ain't free, you know. Stop making me spit it onto my keyboard and monitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aiyana Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) I assume most the nay sayers in this thread are not women or at least not older women who have been gaming awhile. Having been proposed to not once but twice by boys I'd probably not even talk to in real life in the last 12 or so years I have been playing MMO's I am real cautious about giving out more then my first name and general area I live. Hell even admitting your a real women can still net you a lot a grief in many MMO's , One reason I avoid VOiP like the plaque >.< . Hell over the years I have even toned down the flirting as many guys make assumptions if you flirt with them in game >.< , not all there are some that are gentlemen but even they can quickly go places I am uncomfortable with when they don't have time to think about what they type (VOiP). Above privacy its a safety issue , like it or not a lot of people playing this game are minors many are even under the requires 13 . You can learn a lot with someones full name and some minor basic info that's likely to have come out in chat (like where you live). IMO there should not even be a option to include you real info , let someone put that in the comment field if they want. Edited March 9, 2012 by Aiyana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giondi Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Seriously though, I agree with the OP. No real names need to be blasted anywhere on the inter webz. Simple email address would suffice. I'm guessing the guy dumb enough to give his real name to a faceless corporation, tell them that people he doesn't really know are his friends, and then get worried that the haxxors will internet all his monies away probably used his real name as his email address. If you're this worried about privacy, why did you not sign up under an alias and buy time cards with cash? If you're signed up with a credit card, your banking information is on an internet server, which is much easier to get than it is to take some random person's name and steal their identity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasgallant Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 ill admit keeping things secret and safe and secure are good..but jesus.it is just your name.. your first name at that..its not like gandalf has told you that you have to keep the ring secret and safe.. i think there are alot of people with the same name as you...unless your name is something all messed up like gormartahana.. then.. i am sorry for you...and i guess you might not have alot of friends and might want to hide your name...but really this is something people are really terrified over?? do you know how many times you name runs through the miriad of systems around the world without you even knowing it? a bunch and a ton...hell my name is in the phone book anyone can look up...both my first and my last name...you op are being far to paranoid over the need to hide who you are from people you consider to be friends... ps... anyone named Gormarthana... i am sorry if i singled you out...really.. please forgive my insensitivity to your incredibly horrible name to the op... if giving your name out to your friends that you know online is a horrible thing...why would you give it to Bioware in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scandana Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I know all my online friends names... This... All my guild is also on my facebook and most of them on my twitter, so yes I actually do know all their full legal names. I have even met many of them in real life, during my travels.... I know... shock and horror. One of the ladies in my guild I even dated for a while. OH NO, the humanity! My point being it is really not that bad, unless you have something to hide, or really do not trust them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwena Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Wow, I am surprised by how many people don't care about this. But thanks to the OP for the heads up. I am willing to share very little about my identity online. My first and last name together are fairly unique -- we can't all have names like Sarah Jones or David Smith -- so if someone knew my full name it would be easy to get my phone number and address given that I don't keep what state I live in a secret. And just because I have fun playing with someone and am on "friendly" terms with them does not mean that I would trust them with my full name and thus my personal information. And even if I would, this thread clearly illustrates why I should not trust them not to thoughtlessly share it with others that I may not trust as much. Basically, I feel the need for a "space bubble" in MMO's so as to make sure any would-be creepy people I may encounter simply cannot get too close. Bioware obviously doesn't get that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roechacca Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 You best watch your self. I'm a wanted man. I have the death sentence on 12 systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergon Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 This bulls**t is a lot like the issues I had with RealID in WoW, which was one of the reasons I quit WoW and refuse to play any of their products ever again. I have a great many online friends who only know me by my UserID. I do not use my real name and I do not agree to any company handing out my real name. When I received the news that I could invite 3 people to SW:ToR for a 7 day trial, I immediately started trying to narrow down who to send them to. The I discovered BW had no intention of introducing Combat macros and that the 1.2 patch had been pushed back to early April (probably later now that they have pushed it back once already). I promptly cancelled my account. I may be back whenever 1.2 comes out if some other game hasn't come along before then. Now that I know that BW is handing out my Real name, I will not ever send invites out until that stupidity is changed; not that I find the game is currently worth recommending. 1.2 may save the game if they get it out before the losetoo many players andcan no longer afford to develop 1.2 . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZuperDweeb Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 4/10. Would not read again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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