So I had a nice long nap today/tonight, and woke up feeling every bit as bad as I did when I went to sleep. I decided to play video games until I got tired again. I noticed Return to Castle Wolfenstein on the shelf and it occurred to me that I hadn't played it in some time. I installed it. Figuring there was an update out, I checked online and sure enough there was.

During the install of the patch, I noticed that it had two EULAs, one for RtCW and one for something I'd not heard of before called Punkbuster. I alt+tabbed to opera and looked it up. It's apparently some sort of anti-cheating thing.

I'm all for playing without cheaters, so I decided to read the license agreement they wanted me to agree to. After reading it, I'm going to take my chances with the cheaters. It's a scary license. Here's the part that caught my eye:

Licensee acknowledges that PunkBuster software is optional and is not a requirement in any respect for using or enjoying games that integrate PunkBuster software technology. Licensee also acknowledges and agrees that PunkBuster software is self-updating, which means that future updates will, from time to time and without any notice, automatically be downloaded and installed as a normal and expected function of PunkBuster software. Licensee consents to this automatic update function. Licensee further acknowledges and accepts that PunkBuster software may be considered invasive. Licensee understands that PunkBuster software inspects and reports information about the computer on which it is installed to other connected computers and Licensee agrees to allow PunkBuster software to inspect and report such information about the computer on which Licensee installs PunkBuster software. Licensee understands and agrees that the information that may be inspected and reported by PunkBuster software includes, but is not limited to, devices and any files residing on the hard-drive and in the memory of the computer on which PunkBuster software is installed. Further, Licensee consents to allow PunkBuster software to transfer actual screenshots taken of Licensee's computer during the operation of PunkBuster software for possible publication. Licensee understands that the purpose and goal of PunkBuster is to ensure a cheat-free environment for all participants in online games. Licensee agrees that the invasive nature of PunkBuster software is necessary to meet this purpose and goal. Licensee agrees that any harm or lack of privacy resulting from the installation and use of PunkBuster software is not as valuable to Licensee as the potential ability to play interactive online games with the benefits afforded by using PunkBuster software.

The hell I agree. Not a chance.

I don't consent to any "function" which automatically performs updates without telling me. While I certainly do agree that it's invasive software, I don't agree that it needs to inspect my computer and report on any files/settings/etc I have. I certainly have nothing to hide, but I don't have to prove that to anyone either. I also don't consent to them taking screenshots for publication. Notice they say they can take screengrabs when their software is running, which is not necessarily the same as when I'm running game software. How do I know when their software is running? It could start up every hour on the hour and take a screenshot for all I know -- and that would be acceptable since I agreed to it.

Finally, I most certainly do not agree that any harm or lack of privacy resulting from the use of Punkbuster is better than encountering cheaters in online games. You'll always find them online, with or without stuff like Punkbuster. The only way to stop cheaters is to play alone. Installing Big Brother onto your machine will not solve the problem.

There's a really scary trend lately towards unreasonable software license agreements. Software is so complex that there's no real way to know everything that is happening at any given time (even if you do have the source; having source isn't the answer, but it does help). Most people simply click "Yes" to everything and place their trust in the software vendor. The answer isn't blind trust; that can get you into trouble. The answer is openness and honesty and ethics, not invasiveness and seedy behavior. Sometimes the cure really is more harmful than the disease.

The real cure? Read the EULAs that come with software. Know what is being installed. If possible, use software with available source code. We have enough of our privacy leaking out every day without making it worse by actually inviting to happen and giving it away. If enough people complained about this sort of thing, it wouldn't happen nearly as much. Sadly, I think most people don't care.

I'm glad I read this EULA, and I'm glad I said no to it. If I happen across cheaters, I'll just do what everyone else has done for years now: find a new server or play a different game.