I Hope This Ends Misinformation Regarding The Anti-cheat Software

This post is meant to be constructive and to help heal some of the strife and misinformation regarding the recent wave of Bans. For almost 2 weeks we've been speculating what this software was collecting and whether it could lead to false positives, unfortunately there has not been an official statement as far as I can tell.

I recently received an answer to a Support Ticket regarding my privacy concerns which I filed because I wanted an official word directly from the company, some transparency.

I'm glad to say I have it and I'm sharing my response with you, I'm not sure if this is kosher but I feel and think this is important.

Lead GM MagisterToday at 18:00Greetings ,

The detection process, which we ran from 3/6/2018 to 3/27/2018, identified if a version associated to one of five separate programs we previously disclosed on 4/14/2018 was running on your computer at the same time as Guild Wars 2. The data sent back to ArenaNet was a yes or no to whether or not we detected one of those programs. No other data was sent to ArenaNet as part of the detection method.Regards,

Lead GM MagisterGuild Wars 2 Support Teamhttp://help.guildwars2.com/

Looks the same as the other responses posted.

Personally I just loved how the discussion was productive, with people listening to each other and understanding the points that others made. It isn't at all like it was 60+ pages of a cacophonous quagmire.

I wasn't aware any one else shared their responses, that's why I wanted to wait for an official response; and to share my own ticket response.> @Inculpatus cedo.9234 said:

Looks the same as the other responses posted.

@Blood Red Arachnid.2493 said:Personally I just loved how the discussion was productive, with people listening to each other and understanding the points that others made. It isn't at all like it was 60+ pages of a cacophonous quagmire.

I couldn't agree more, I'm glad that discussion was locked, we were arguing over contract laws and minors.

I just figured I'd post something simple, paste my ticket response so people would get the official word; just trying to be helpful.

Thanks very much for posting this. I read every post on this forum and outside forums and had not seen any information suggesting that the process simply returned a binary yes/no. Appreciated.

Thanks from me as well. If only they'd made this statement from the beginning, that other thread might have been half the size.

This statement may calm you down in terms of privacy but it doesn't remove the possibility of false positives.

Unlike most people here, I'd have presumed the only response they(ArenaNet) was looking for was a Yes/No response whether or not those programs where running on someones computer at the same time as GW2, and not because I trust them, but because there's absolutely no other information they need to gather. They aren't Google or Facebook, they make a game, they don't want people using certain software...so you simply detect whether someone is running that software at the same time as your game...and why the hell are people still so concerned about their damned privacy on the internet...there is no privacy on the internet, there never has been and never will be, why can't people understand that simple fact.

Thinking about it, I wouldnt be surprised most of the stuff being said was more about creating a controversy rather than providing actual information.

Also the datastream from all processes being run on every single computer rather than a simple 1 or 0. That seems like alot of unneeded data.

This information contradict the reverse engineering that people made which said that the whole process list was sent to ArenaNet.

But this new information can only do good. If its true then great =) . If its wrong and they feel pressured to delete the collected data then great =) . If its wrong and they do not delete it, and it get leaked then their claim to never have gotten the data will look really bad in a European court, also great =) !

The whole episode still makes me want to sandbox the guildwars 2 program. Fool me once and all that, even if this time it was only a grey hat patch.

Those who wanted to follow on the particular thread (as well as the corrected reddit one), already knew what ANET used and how. As for the rest of the people who kept repeating "spyware spyware spyware", well, no matter what evidence they get shown, they will still disbelieve everything/will keep making other, various irrelevant arguments (eg, on the top of my head, something with the EULA and children pops up).Hopefully, this thread doesnt get filled with the huge passive aggressive, immature arguments as the previous megathread.

@"Oldirtbeard.9834" said:This post is meant to be constructive and to help heal some of the strife and misinformation regarding the recent wave of Bans. For almost 2 weeks we've been speculating what this software was collecting and whether it could lead to false positives, unfortunately there has not been an official statement as far as I can tell.

I recently received an answer to a Support Ticket regarding my privacy concerns which I filed because I wanted an official word directly from the company, some transparency.

I'm glad to say I have it and I'm sharing my response with you, I'm not sure if this is kosher but I feel and think this is important.

Lead GM MagisterToday at 18:00Greetings ,

The detection process, which we ran from 3/6/2018 to 3/27/2018, identified if a version associated to one of five separate programs we previously disclosed on 4/14/2018 was running on your computer at the same time as Guild Wars 2. The data sent back to ArenaNet was a yes or no to whether or not we detected one of those programs. No other data was sent to ArenaNet as part of the detection method.Regards,

Lead GM MagisterGuild Wars 2 Support Teamhttp://help.guildwars2.com/

At least it's clear.

And, knowing that was the only way to catch the cheaters, I'm gonna say this is fine.

with any annoucement, for sure peoples would not run their tiers during the oversight period.

@Zaklex.6308 said:there is no privacy on the internet, there never has been and never will be, why can't people understand that simple fact.

That's what big companies, including gaming industry, wants you to believe. Legislation process is slower than technology but it is changing. Case in point: may 25th EU regulations on privacy on internet.

@Theros.1390 said:

@"Oldirtbeard.9834" said:This post is meant to be constructive and to help heal some of the strife and misinformation regarding the recent wave of Bans. For almost 2 weeks we've been speculating what this software was collecting and whether it could lead to false positives, unfortunately there has not been an official statement as far as I can tell.

I recently received an answer to a Support Ticket regarding my privacy concerns which I filed because I wanted an official word directly from the company, some transparency.

I'm glad to say I have it and I'm sharing my response with you, I'm not sure if this is kosher but I feel and think this is important.

Lead GM MagisterToday at 18:00Greetings ,

The detection process, which we ran from 3/6/2018 to 3/27/2018, identified if a version associated to one of five separate programs we previously disclosed on 4/14/2018 was running on your computer at the same time as Guild Wars 2. The data sent back to ArenaNet was a yes or no to whether or not we detected one of those programs. No other data was sent to ArenaNet as part of the detection method.Regards,

Lead GM MagisterGuild Wars 2 Support Team

http://help.guildwars2.com/

They should make it permanent now that we know it's minimally invasive, if it's up all the time like WoWs Warden then no more hacks instead of people laying low for a month.

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:

@Theros.1390 said:

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:This post is meant to be constructive and to help heal some of the strife and misinformation regarding the recent wave of Bans. For almost 2 weeks we've been speculating what this software was collecting and whether it could lead to false positives, unfortunately there has not been an official statement as far as I can tell.

I recently received an answer to a Support Ticket regarding my privacy concerns which I filed because I wanted an official word directly from the company, some transparency.

I'm glad to say I have it and I'm sharing my response with you, I'm not sure if this is kosher but I feel and think this is important.

Lead GM MagisterToday at 18:00Greetings ,

The detection process, which we ran from 3/6/2018 to 3/27/2018, identified if a version associated to one of five separate programs we previously disclosed on 4/14/2018 was running on your computer at the same time as Guild Wars 2. The data sent back to ArenaNet was a yes or no to whether or not we detected one of those programs. No other data was sent to ArenaNet as part of the detection method.Regards,

Lead GM MagisterGuild Wars 2 Support Team

http://help.guildwars2.com/

Agreed

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:

@Theros.1390 said:

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:This post is meant to be constructive and to help heal some of the strife and misinformation regarding the recent wave of Bans. For almost 2 weeks we've been speculating what this software was collecting and whether it could lead to false positives, unfortunately there has not been an official statement as far as I can tell.

I recently received an answer to a Support Ticket regarding my privacy concerns which I filed because I wanted an official word directly from the company, some transparency.

I'm glad to say I have it and I'm sharing my response with you, I'm not sure if this is kosher but I feel and think this is important.

Lead GM MagisterToday at 18:00Greetings ,

The detection process, which we ran from 3/6/2018 to 3/27/2018, identified if a version associated to one of five separate programs we previously disclosed on 4/14/2018 was running on your computer at the same time as Guild Wars 2. The data sent back to ArenaNet was a yes or no to whether or not we detected one of those programs. No other data was sent to ArenaNet as part of the detection method.Regards,

Lead GM MagisterGuild Wars 2 Support Team

http://help.guildwars2.com/

We don't know this. They only claim this. It's all based on belief and trust, not facts. I don't want this tool to be active at all as during time it was run it crippled game performance and caused lags for me.

@"Kheldorn.5123" said:

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:

@Theros.1390 said:

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:This post is meant to be constructive and to help heal some of the strife and misinformation regarding the recent wave of Bans. For almost 2 weeks we've been speculating what this software was collecting and whether it could lead to false positives, unfortunately there has not been an official statement as far as I can tell.

I recently received an answer to a Support Ticket regarding my privacy concerns which I filed because I wanted an official word directly from the company, some transparency.

I'm glad to say I have it and I'm sharing my response with you, I'm not sure if this is kosher but I feel and think this is important.

Lead GM MagisterToday at 18:00Greetings ,

The detection process, which we ran from 3/6/2018 to 3/27/2018, identified if a version associated to one of five separate programs we previously disclosed on 4/14/2018 was running on your computer at the same time as Guild Wars 2. The data sent back to ArenaNet was a yes or no to whether or not we detected one of those programs. No other data was sent to ArenaNet as part of the detection method.Regards,

Lead GM MagisterGuild Wars 2 Support Team

http://help.guildwars2.com/

Which you dont know either and you just claim. I for one didnt notice any such thing.

@"Kheldorn.5123" said:

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:

@Theros.1390 said:

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:This post is meant to be constructive and to help heal some of the strife and misinformation regarding the recent wave of Bans. For almost 2 weeks we've been speculating what this software was collecting and whether it could lead to false positives, unfortunately there has not been an official statement as far as I can tell.

I recently received an answer to a Support Ticket regarding my privacy concerns which I filed because I wanted an official word directly from the company, some transparency.

I'm glad to say I have it and I'm sharing my response with you, I'm not sure if this is kosher but I feel and think this is important.

Lead GM MagisterToday at 18:00Greetings ,

The detection process, which we ran from 3/6/2018 to 3/27/2018, identified if a version associated to one of five separate programs we previously disclosed on 4/14/2018 was running on your computer at the same time as Guild Wars 2. The data sent back to ArenaNet was a yes or no to whether or not we detected one of those programs. No other data was sent to ArenaNet as part of the detection method.Regards,

Lead GM MagisterGuild Wars 2 Support Team

http://help.guildwars2.com/

There is no proof this tool was responsable for the lag. You claim a lot and never back it up. Come with proof!! You keep making Arenanet look bad for not being open, but your claims all have proven to be wrong and based on misinformation and fake news.

@FrizzFreston.5290 said:

@"Kheldorn.5123" said:

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:

@Theros.1390 said:

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:This post is meant to be constructive and to help heal some of the strife and misinformation regarding the recent wave of Bans. For almost 2 weeks we've been speculating what this software was collecting and whether it could lead to false positives, unfortunately there has not been an official statement as far as I can tell.

I recently received an answer to a Support Ticket regarding my privacy concerns which I filed because I wanted an official word directly from the company, some transparency.

I'm glad to say I have it and I'm sharing my response with you, I'm not sure if this is kosher but I feel and think this is important.

Lead GM MagisterToday at 18:00Greetings ,

The detection process, which we ran from 3/6/2018 to 3/27/2018, identified if a version associated to one of five separate programs we previously disclosed on 4/14/2018 was running on your computer at the same time as Guild Wars 2. The data sent back to ArenaNet was a yes or no to whether or not we detected one of those programs. No other data was sent to ArenaNet as part of the detection method.Regards,

Lead GM MagisterGuild Wars 2 Support Team

http://help.guildwars2.com/

That's awesome. However all I care about is my own experience. I had performance and lag problems during time when this tool was active. I'm assuming it's caused by the tool as no new software or other connection problems were present on my PC at that time (just like anet assumed people hacked gw2 based on process list).

@mercury ranique.2170 said:

@"Kheldorn.5123" said:

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:

@Theros.1390 said:

@Oldirtbeard.9834 said:This post is meant to be constructive and to help heal some of the strife and misinformation regarding the recent wave of Bans. For almost 2 weeks we've been speculating what this software was collecting and whether it could lead to false positives, unfortunately there has not been an official statement as far as I can tell.

I recently received an answer to a Support Ticket regarding my privacy concerns which I filed because I wanted an official word directly from the company, some transparency.

I'm glad to say I have it and I'm sharing my response with you, I'm not sure if this is kosher but I feel and think this is important.

Lead GM MagisterToday at 18:00Greetings ,

The detection process, which we ran from 3/6/2018 to 3/27/2018, identified if a version associated to one of five separate programs we previously disclosed on 4/14/2018 was running on your computer at the same time as Guild Wars 2. The data sent back to ArenaNet was a yes or no to whether or not we detected one of those programs. No other data was sent to ArenaNet as part of the detection method.Regards,

Lead GM MagisterGuild Wars 2 Support Team

http://help.guildwars2.com/

There is also no proof it isn't. Anet did something, I changed nothing on my PC during that time, had no new software or any other connection problems outside of GW2. I can only assume it's because of their tool. Just like they assume people hacked gw2 based on process list.

To be honest, I dont care if they even looked through my XXX-Collection wile running that detection process! They got a lot of hacking and cheating bobos (thats all that matters) and I hope they continue that "scanning" frequently!Those who were breaking the rules over a long time and abused the game and a lot of fairly playing ppl are crying about "spyware" ??? LOLBTW read the GTC and understand "The only right y have is to remain silent." (sarcasm but nearly true)

@"Kheldorn.5123" said:

@FrizzFreston.5290 said:

@"Kheldorn.5123" said:We don't

know

this. They only

claim

this. It's all based on belief and trust, not facts. I don't want this tool to be active at all as during time it was run it crippled game performance and caused lags for me.

That it's an assumption is all I meant, you said it like it was factual that it actually was the cause of lag. There were other additions to the game than just this tool, which may or may not have been the cause of the lag, or there was maintenance somewhere along the usual connection to Arenanet than gets more influenced in GW2 than any other game.

But I suppose you're just gonna go for arguing "But Arenanet is making assumptions too!". Ofcourse, that's pointless as Anet is in control of actually following up on those ingame. :P

@"Oldirtbeard.9834" said:This post is meant to be constructive and to help heal some of the strife and misinformation regarding the recent wave of Bans. For almost 2 weeks we've been speculating what this software was collecting and whether it could lead to false positives, unfortunately there has not been an official statement as far as I can tell.

I recently received an answer to a Support Ticket regarding my privacy concerns which I filed because I wanted an official word directly from the company, some transparency.

I'm glad to say I have it and I'm sharing my response with you, I'm not sure if this is kosher but I feel and think this is important.

Lead GM MagisterToday at 18:00Greetings ,

The detection process, which we ran from 3/6/2018 to 3/27/2018, identified if a version associated to one of five separate programs we previously disclosed on 4/14/2018 was running on your computer at the same time as Guild Wars 2. The data sent back to ArenaNet was a yes or no to whether or not we detected one of those programs. No other data was sent to ArenaNet as part of the detection method.Regards,

Lead GM MagisterGuild Wars 2 Support Teamhttp://help.guildwars2.com/

Thanks for posting this :) Re-installing the game now.

For the life of me, though, I can't see why Anet couldn't have just said this to begin with. A lot of pain and a lot of annoyance, not to mention misconceptions, etc. could have been avoided on all sides of the issue.

@Zaklex.6308 said:Unlike most people here, I'd have presumed the only response they(ArenaNet) was looking for was a Yes/No response whether or not those programs where running on someones computer at the same time as GW2, and not because I trust them, but because there's absolutely no other information they need to gather. They aren't Google or Facebook, they make a game, they don't want people using certain software...so you simply detect whether someone is running that software at the same time as your game...and why the hell are people still so concerned about their damned privacy on the internet...there is no privacy on the internet, there never has been and never will be, why can't people understand that simple fact.

At least for me, privacy was only a small part of the issue. The larger one was the crappy encryption method Anet chose and the insecure transmission method they used. Since it wasn't totally clear until now that all they were transmitting was a simple yes/no data blip, I felt unsafe having the client installed on my system. I find cheaters in any game to be an annoyance at most, but the backdoors most gaming companies feel free to open on players' PCs can potentially be a major threat. I won't touch any game that uses third party anti-cheat software because of this. It's not worth putting my financial security on the line for the sake of entertainment.

ANET answered tickets, reddit post has been updated, yet people bring up the "ANET claims... We dont know for sure..." argument. The same people who were so quick to believe banned cheaters who said they didnt use cheats/said they didnt use cheats WHILE playing gw2/said they used macros for music/said they ACCIDENTALLY used em in other modes as well. They believe people who used exploits in a game, yet when it comes to ANET, their view is completely different. "But I had lag when the SPYWARE was in effect!" Well, buddy, proof is what you want, proof is what you should provide. Double standards, oh those double standards.Now, I am not saying to anyone to pick a side, here. But you know what? It is nigh impossible to change the mind of a suspicious person, of someone who wants to stay in disbelief. It is easier to change the point of view of a thinking person, when that person is presented with arguments. Which makes one's decision on who to believe, much easier.