It is not just an issue of a video game- TSR participates in unethical business practices such as intellectual property theft (Buggybooz creation was an idea she came up with- EA might have provided some of the tools or the game she created for but the idea was hers), privacy violations (like a hacker would only hack the FA's accounts when there was much more financially fertile ground in the subscriber account area re: TSR"s so called security breach) and false advertising- all of which are explicitly in violation of the BBBO' (Better Business Bureau Online) Code of Consumer Rights Online.
Unethical business practices are unethical business practices and if TSR is able to get away with something like this who is to say LJ, or Librarything, or Facebook won't pull this shit next. It doesn't really matter if you are going after Exxon for failing to clean up oil spills thereby increasing global warming or TSR for privacy violation, intellectual property theft, and false advertising- It is a basic moral principal that companies should act in an ethical manner (no matter who they are) and should act in the best interests of the customer. Given that the issue is over the fact that someone's non-TSR account was hacked not their TSR account. It does affect you faedreamer and anyone who downloads at any of the 50 or so free sites that TSR is trying to get rid of- who is to say anyone's information is safe at any of the free sites either especially since some of those sites have already been hacked (and there is evidence of this) by TSR employees.
Oh believe me, I know all about intellectual property theft. I'm not sure where anyone got the idea I was somehow a TSR supporter when I've repeatedly stated I have nothing to do with them and never have.
Again, all I'm saying is nothing has been proven. If they have proof this hacking happened, then they should press charges. if they do not then I will assume they cannot and if they cannot that must mean they do not have proof. Hence it's all rumors and wank and no, does not affect me. Selfish? You bet. I have more important things to do than worry about the rumored theft of custom content files from a video game. Really.
Do I think it happened? Probably. But if someone has committed a crime, they should file charges. If they don't, aren't they enabling the perpetrator to then do the same again? Why should I care about the crime if the people it was committed against don't care enough to do something about it?
So...have charges been filed? Have the authorities been notified? I'd go look myself but frankly I just don't have the time nor the inclination to wade through the verbal masturbation that goes on in these over-arcing fandom wanks. I wager to say no. I also wager to say they'd be laughed out of the police station if they tried to file a complaint about someone stealing video game content.
Delphy is investigating where all of the IP addresses of the people on the site at the time Boogybooz profile was hacked and her stuff deleted- I am assuming that he will take legal action on Mod the Sims and Buggybooz behalf depending on what he finds out. Charges can't be pursued in terms of the video game content but, hacking is illegal and if he can trace any of the ip addresses from the site where they were purchased to a credit card number associated with a TSR FA, SA, Admin, Exec etc (and TSR is that stupid) he can go after then for hacking his server and destroying content on that server with malicious intent. Frankly I hope Delphy does find his evidence because this creates chaos and disunity in a community of people who should be united in their love of creating custom content and playing a game. It makes the game not fun anymore and makes me really not want Sims 3
I don't know if charges have been filed for this hacking issue or not but, if anything, The Sims Resource's biggest crime so far was publishing the Paypal information of the customers they suspected of piracy (including their real names) and in some cases, if I recall correctly, encouraging harassment through telephone.
That definitely crosses the line of all the silly fandom wanking caused by this game, IMO. And it's upsetting that a large company like EA Games has established a partnership with a "pseudo business" that's capable of putting their own customers in danger to protect their interests.
With this behavior, they are tacitly approving TSR's businesses practices, and that makes me wonder if they'd dare commit these atrocities too if faced with a similar situation.
I can't trust EA Games anymore for this reason. Therefore, I won't support them with my money.
And that is certainly your right, and a well thought out one, at that. I have different criteria for what is the point at which I will no longer support EA. Doesn't make either of us right or wrong, just of differing opinions and with different ideas of what the bottom line is.
I have to ask, though, if they really did reveal customer's paypal information, did anyone ever press charges about that either? I recall that wank, too, and I don't have any recollection of anyone going to the authorities with it. That would certainly be prosecutable.
I completely agree, Simgaroop, and you said a lot of what I was thinking.
I also agree with you, faedreamer, that giving out the Paypal info is a prosecutable offense. I don't know if anybody came forward and complained to Paypal, but I hope at least some of them did.
Unethical business practices are unethical business practices and if TSR is able to get away with something like this who is to say LJ, or Librarything, or Facebook won't pull this shit next. It doesn't really matter if you are going after Exxon for failing to clean up oil spills thereby increasing global warming or TSR for privacy violation, intellectual property theft, and false advertising-
It is a basic moral principal that companies should act in an ethical manner (no matter who they are) and should act in the best interests of the customer. Given that the issue is over the fact that someone's non-TSR account was hacked not their TSR account.
It does affect you faedreamer and anyone who downloads at any of the 50 or so free sites that TSR is trying to get rid of- who is to say anyone's information is safe at any of the free sites either especially since some of those sites have already been hacked (and there is evidence of this) by TSR employees.
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Again, all I'm saying is nothing has been proven. If they have proof this hacking happened, then they should press charges. if they do not then I will assume they cannot and if they cannot that must mean they do not have proof. Hence it's all rumors and wank and no, does not affect me. Selfish? You bet. I have more important things to do than worry about the rumored theft of custom content files from a video game. Really.
Do I think it happened? Probably. But if someone has committed a crime, they should file charges. If they don't, aren't they enabling the perpetrator to then do the same again? Why should I care about the crime if the people it was committed against don't care enough to do something about it?
So...have charges been filed? Have the authorities been notified? I'd go look myself but frankly I just don't have the time nor the inclination to wade through the verbal masturbation that goes on in these over-arcing fandom wanks. I wager to say no. I also wager to say they'd be laughed out of the police station if they tried to file a complaint about someone stealing video game content.
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That definitely crosses the line of all the silly fandom wanking caused by this game, IMO. And it's upsetting that a large company like EA Games has established a partnership with a "pseudo business" that's capable of putting their own customers in danger to protect their interests.
With this behavior, they are tacitly approving TSR's businesses practices, and that makes me wonder if they'd dare commit these atrocities too if faced with a similar situation.
I can't trust EA Games anymore for this reason. Therefore, I won't support them with my money.
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I have to ask, though, if they really did reveal customer's paypal information, did anyone ever press charges about that either? I recall that wank, too, and I don't have any recollection of anyone going to the authorities with it. That would certainly be prosecutable.
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I don't know how did the sharing information issue ended, but I hope the people affected pressed charges, at least through Paypal.
I'd have done that, if I'd been in their place. At least to set a formal precedent against TSR's practices, in case they did that again.
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I also agree with you, faedreamer, that giving out the Paypal info is a prosecutable offense. I don't know if anybody came forward and complained to Paypal, but I hope at least some of them did.
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