The Fryer, Vol. 3
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10/2/2008 7:14 PM | 0 Comments | Page 3 of 4
EA proposes "army of spybots" to settle DRM issues
EA unveiled its new spybot at a press conference. Game boxes will get a bit larger.
Responding to continuing and persistent complaints from gamers about the restrictive digital rights management software in
Spore, Electronic Arts announced today a program of autonomous spybots that will "protect our intellectual property while simultaneously allowing gamers unfettered use of their legally purchased software," according to a statement from EA CEO John Riccitiello.
The small, circular spybots, which will be included in all future boxed copies of
Spore and available via an online order form for existing players, will "hover unobtrusively just behind the end-user's shoulder, monitoring any and all activities that might lead to unauthorized use of Electronic Arts brands or products," according to a factsheet. A miniature digital camera and microphone will do the actual monitoring, sending data to what EA describes as "the largest data aggregation and analysis platform ever conceived." Any potential EULA violations will be reported via a built-in GPS and dealt with by the EA Consumer Protection Squad, in conjunction with local authorities.
"Look, we don't really care how many machines you install your copy of
Spore on," Riccitiello said in response to questioning. "We just want to make sure you're not posting the game on file-sharing sites or giving it to a friend when you're done with it or posting a negative review on Amazon.com or something." Riccitiello also took pains to explain that the spybot solution would "not install a rootkit on anyone's personal computer."
