please do not get all of your opinions from certain "privacy advocates." thinking critically about the software that you use does not involve calling everything spyware because it contacts a server once to check for updates and report back on what features are being used or not without a single piece of personally identifying information
❤3
![spyware.neocities.org article for Steam
Content reads as such:
Steam
Steam is a video game launching service, digital content store, DRM platform, file sharing platform, and Social Network created by Valve.
Spyware Level: EXTREMELY HIGH
This program is spyware because it collects huge amounts of user information, including but not limited to your Home Address, Telephone Number, Credit Card Number, and Internet Search History. Steam also profiles your hardware, communications through Steam's social networking features, and contains a mandatory self-updater. Steam will not work without an internet connection.
Steam's source code is unavailable
Steam cannot be built from an available copy of the source code. This means that it is impossible to prove that Steam is not spyware or does not use certain spyware features that it potentially has.
Steam collects and shares huge amounts of sensitive user information
In Steam's privacy policy[1], Steam details that it collects the following user information:
Name
Address
Credit Card Number(s)
e-mail
Age
IP Address
Device Unique ID
Chat logs
Forum posts
Voice Chat Recordings
Hardware Enumeration](https://shrimp.meow.company/files/original-4a4e4290-0bf9-4fff-82a6-50219578a889.png "spyware.neocities.org article for Steam
Content reads as such:
Steam
Steam is a video game launching service, digital content store, DRM platform, file sharing platform, and Social Network created by Valve.
Spyware Level: EXTREMELY HIGH
This program is spyware because it collects huge amounts of user information, including but not limited to your Home Address, Telephone Number, Credit Card Number, and Internet Search History. Steam also profiles your hardware, communications through Steam's social networking features, and contains a mandatory self-updater. Steam will not work without an internet connection.
Steam's source code is unavailable
Steam cannot be built from an available copy of the source code. This means that it is impossible to prove that Steam is not spyware or does not use certain spyware features that it potentially has.
Steam collects and shares huge amounts of sensitive user information
In Steam's privacy policy[1], Steam details that it collects the following user information:
Name
Address
Credit Card Number(s)
e-mail
Age
IP Address
Device Unique ID
Chat logs
Forum posts
Voice Chat Recordings
Hardware Enumeration")
1
1