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Gabe Newell has denied that Valve is tracking users’ browser histories.
The co-founder of the PC gaming firm responded to a claim made by a Reddit user earlier this week that the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) software used by games to restrict users who cheat in online games was transmitting users’ browser histories back to the company.
Newell, who replied also using Reddit, rounded up a lengthy explanation of the system titled “Valve, VAC, and Trust” with a short Q&A section, outright stating: “Do we send your browsing history to Valve? No.”
“Do we care what porn sites you visit? Oh, dear god, no. My brain just melted.”
“Is Valve using its market success to go evil? I don’t think so, but you have to make the call if we are trustworthy. We try really hard to earn and keep your trust.”
“Trust is a critical part of a multiplayer game community – trust in the developer, trust in the system, and trust in the other players,” Newell expanded in the post.
“Cheats are a negative sum game, where a minority benefits less than the majority is harmed.”
“Cheat versus trust is an ongoing cat-and-mouse game.”
“Our response is to make it clear what we were actually doing and why, with enough transparency that people can make their own judgements as to whether or not we are trustworthy.”
