RealID Security Issues... Fix this please

[Tierdal]

So we all know about this awesome RealID system. A system that will eventually allow cross game chat. A wonderful idea. One of blizzards best. While this is not about SC2 in particular it is about B.net 2.0 which is a big part of the SC2 package.

Here is the problem. Your RealID friends list shows whatever name you put into your B.net account. For most people this will be their real life name. Personally I usually avoid putting my full name in ANY form on the internet. However, considering how long I have had a relationship with Blizzard I decided it would be fine and my information would be secure... how wrong was I.

Now I, like most people, do not wish to share my real life name across the internet with people I have only met online. I consider it a privacy issue.

After emailing support about this I was told, rather rudely, that I should post a suggestion about this since they will not change my name to protect my privacy.

Instead they told me I could "choose not to use this system". Imagine Microsoft telling people they were going to start showing real life billing/name information over Xbox Live and if you didn't like it you could just chose not to use it.

There is no reason for a service like this to broadcast peoples real life names.

I don't need a separate friends list for real life friends. I have one already. It is called a cell phone.

However, I do wish to keep in contact with friends I have met through playing other Blizzard games. I do not think I should be kept from chatting with friends playing other Blizzard games because you decided to not give us full access to edit our own personal information in our own personal accounts, containing games we paid hundreds+ dollars for. Or that you decided to create a service that broadcasts my real life name... thus breaking the trust I had initially placed in your company.

I know I am not alone in this concern. I would appreciate and appropriate response. I would like to know Blizzard takes this concern seriously and will do whatever it can to ensure anyone can use the systems of SC2 and B.net to their full advantage without worrying about their personal privacy.

[Artem]

I don't think you quite get the intent of "RealID" -- it's intended to keep you in touch with your real friends across games.

As in, the people who know your real name already.

Regular friend functionality exists for online friends.

Also, if you don't trust these people with something as innocuous as your name, why do you want to keep in touch with them?

[Elmizzt]

You do know that you're not the only person in the world with your exact first and last name, right?

[Sentrysteve]

I don't think you quite get the intent of "RealID" -- it's intended to keep you in touch with your real friends across games.

As in, the people who know your real name already.

Regular friend functionality exists for online friends.

Also, if you don't trust these people with something as innocuous as your name, why do you want to keep in touch with them?

What if he wants to keep in touch with friends who he met through Starcraft 2 while be plays Diablo 3? He would have to reveal his real name which is his problem.

I agree and I think the RealID system needs a way to mask your actual name. It's kind of ridiculous that there isn't already such a feature, to be honest.

[Tierdal]

I don't think you quite get the intent of "RealID" -- it's intended to keep you in touch with your real friends across games.

As in, the people who know your real name already.

Regular friend functionality exists for online friends.

Also, if you don't trust these people with something as innocuous as your name, why do you want to keep in touch with them?

The SC2 friends list is for SC2 only. The only system that works cross game is RealID.

And trust has nothing to do with it. It goes without saying your name is a huge point of identification. The more someone learns about you the more they can do with just your name. Giving your full name out to random people in your guild you don't know in real life or maybe even for more than a week is not the smartest idea.

There are people who could do great harm to you with just your name and a few other details. Con artists exist for a reason. And while this may be rare, it is still a security concern. Why take risks that have no benefit whatsoever. Its like shouting your SSN as you walk down the street. 99% chance people will ignore you/think you are crazy. 99% chance nothing bad will happen... but why risk it?

And I already touched on this idea of a "Real life" friends list. It's called a cell phone. It doesn't belong in a game client. The purpose of chat and friends list in a game is to keep in contact with people you game with.

But regardless of Blizzards intentions you should be able to take full advantage of a game you pay for... without having to worry about security concerns. There should be

A) A way to edit your account name
B) A way to hide your name on the RealID

Either one would be fine.

[Mononaut]

Hi, my name is Bryan Dodson.

[Tierdal]

Hi, my name is Bryan Dodson.

Hi Bryan Dodson.

The name alone is nothing. It is the information people can gather in passing used in conjunction with your name that matters.

I am not sure why I need to explain this. Scamming/identity theft..ect is a huge issue. It costs people and businesses and banks billions a year... It is not unreasonable to want your private information private.

[Toridas]

If you are afraid for someone to know your name, they aren't your friend.

[Tierdal]

If you are afraid for someone to know your name, they aren't your friend.

You're right.

They are an internet acquaintance who is playing SC2 that I wanted to play Diablo 3 with. and would love to be able to see him log into SC2 and invite him to come play D3 with me.

[Joneleth]

Now I, like most people, do not wish to share my real life name across the internet with people I have only met online.That's your problem there. You're not supposed to give out your Real ID (which BTW should be called "Battle.net ID" instead IMO) to people "you have only met online."

More than half of the security issues plaguing anything related to the internets are probably due to people trusting just about anybody they happen upon.

They are an internet acquaintance who is playing SC2 that I wanted to play Diablo 3 with. and would love to be able to see him log into SC2 and invite him to come play D3 with me.
Then ask for their MSN/AOL/Skype address or whatever. Stop creating QQ over a non-issue.

[Tierdal]

That's your problem there. You're not supposed to give out your Real ID (which BTW should be called "Battle.net ID" instead IMO) to people "you have only met online."

More than half of the security issues plaguing anything related to the internets is due to people trusting just about anybody they happen upon.


Then ask for their MSN/AOL/Skype address or whatever. Stop creating QQ over a non-issue.

It is obviously an issue.

And why should I have to fix this problem on my end. The way I look at it is B.net 2.0 is a service. Why would Blizzard want to alienate security conscience people from using one of their most innovative and interesting features? What kind of business sense is that.

There is no REASON RealID should automatically broadcast your RL name. It has no benefit. If you want someone to know it then tell them. However if you just want to use it to cross game chat with internet acquaintances than that should be the DEFAULT option.

If you honestly can give me a good reason why this feature SHOULD contain someones RL name. A way in which it somehow enriches the service. Then please let me know.

[Artem]

RealID doesn't present a security risk unless you use it in a way not intended -- i.e., the way you describe. It's designed to keep in touch with multiple real life friends at the same time, like a glorified IM program. It's even explicitly named. REALID. As in Real Life ID. As in who you REAL-ly are.

It's NOT intended to keep in touch with your Starcraft 2 buddy while you play Diablo 3. That's just not what it was designed for. If you want to play Diablo 3 with people you met on Starcraft 2, tell them your Diablo 3 name.

Basically you're complaining because the feature isn't what you expected/wanted it to be. But it wasn't ever designed to be that.

[Yaz]

That's your problem there. You're not supposed to give out your Real ID (which BTW should be called "Battle.net ID" instead IMO) to people "you have only met online."

More than half of the security issues plaguing anything related to the internets are probably due to people trusting just about anybody they happen upon.


Then ask for their MSN/AOL/Skype address or whatever. Stop creating QQ over a non-issue.

It's beta and we should be able to give feedback on battle.net 2.0 as well as this is it's release and this is a feature so don't just claim somebody shouldn't bring up an issue they have (though feel free to shoot it down).

I think we could all agree though that it would be more convenient to be able to have just regular aquaintances on the list as well without giving them personal information rather than having to rely on an outside tool. MSN/AOL/Skype/Vent whatever could work but why use one of those if you could use the one already built into the game? Seems sort of silly to shoot down an idea by proposing a more annoying solution. If Blizzard doesn't like it or agree then they can simply choose not to build it in.

[Joneleth]

There is no REASON RealID should automatically broadcast your RL name.

If you honestly can give me a good reason why this feature SHOULD contain someones RL name. A way in which it somehow enriches the service. Then please let me know.There's a REASON it's called "REAL" ID, and that is it.

It's the same reason there are "REAL" names and screen- or nick-names. What next, you'll be complaining about REAL Names giving out your identity? Guess I should take back my opinion that it would be better named "Battle.net ID" because that might have confused you even more. How more obviously could the name "Real ID" itself specify that it is your REAL IDENTITY?

Don't be desperate enough to pass it around to everyone you just met for the first time in some game, and there will be no problem. Keep it to the circle of people you know in RL, if any.

Most of this thread reads like you're trying to create controversy for controversy's sake.

[Tierdal]

RealID doesn't present a security risk unless you use it in a way not intended -- i.e., the way you describe. It's designed to keep in touch with multiple real life friends at the same time, like a glorified IM program. It's even explicitly named. REALID. As in Real Life ID. As in who you REAL-ly are.

It's NOT intended to keep in touch with your Starcraft 2 buddy while you play Diablo 3. That's just not what it was designed for. If you want to play Diablo 3 with people you met on Starcraft 2, tell them your Diablo 3 name.

Basically you're complaining because the feature isn't what you expected/wanted it to be. But it wasn't ever designed to be that.

Why assume it is REAL LIFE ID.

It could just as easily stand for your Real Battle.net ID instead of just your separate GAME handle.

[Aorin]

So, you're good enough friends with someone (whom you have only interacted with online) that you would like to keep in contact with while playing different games, yet you feel that you don't know this person well enough to trust them with your real life name?

Sorry, that is not a friend, but that is an acquaintance. If you don't trust the person enough to give out contact info like this, then I question why you would want to play another game with them. There's a reason my guild in WoW has a contact thread with people's real life names, phone numbers, IM names, etc. It's so that we can all keep in contact outside of the game, as well.

[Tierdal]

It's beta and we should be able to give feedback on battle.net 2.0 as well as this is it's release and this is a feature so don't just claim somebody shouldn't bring up an issue they have (though feel free to shoot it down).

I think we could all agree though that it would be more convenient to be able to have just regular aquaintances on the list as well without giving them personal information rather than having to rely on an outside tool. MSN/AOL/Skype/Vent whatever could work but why use one of those if you could use the one already built into the game? Seems sort of silly to shoot down an idea by proposing a more annoying solution. If Blizzard doesn't like it or agree then they can simply choose not to build it in.

Sometimes you find people on the internet whose level headedness is a breath of fresh air. You happen to any good at T or P and want to play sometime? lol.

Sometimes I feel people will rail against something just to be against it. Nobody in this thread has given good reason why the system is the way it is. I've indicated how it could be improved for everyone... and yet people in this thread act like I am trying to throw their precious into the fires of mount doom.

Go figure.

[Digitalstorm]

OMGAWD I r scared to share my real name with peplez. Omgawd they might steal my identity just like some random shmo you meet in every day life! omgawdz i r scared of teh internets!

[Artem]

Why assume it is REAL LIFE ID.

It could just as easily stand for your Real Battle.net ID instead of just your separate GAME handle.

I don't have to assume. I know because I bothered to read up on the feature and its goals.

[Joneleth]

Why assume it is REAL LIFE ID.

It could just as easily stand for your Real Battle.net ID instead of just your separate GAME handle.We don't need multiple "handles," thank you.

Don't clutter up the system to have others suffer for your naiveté. I have people I know in person that play SC2, and I like it that we can just punch in each other's email addresses and see who's who in game.

but you're free to go and try to get Facebook to change their similar system then maybe Battle.net will follow if you succeed.

[Joneleth]

Sometimes I feel people will rail against something just to be against it.

[Tierdal]

So, you're good enough friends with someone (whom you have only interacted with online) that you would like to keep in contact with while playing different games, yet you feel that you don't know this person well enough to trust them with your real life name?

Sorry, that is not a friend, but that is an acquaintance. If you don't trust the person enough to give out contact info like this, then I question why you would want to play another game with them. There's a reason my guild in WoW has a contact thread with people's real life names, phone numbers, IM names, etc. It's so that we can all keep in contact outside of the game, as well.

It has nothing to do with trust. It has everything to do with risk. Why take the risk? I don't want to have to go through a risk/benefit analysis every time I decide to add someone to a cross game chat list.

I don't know what this still has to be explained but imagine this.

You meet someone playing D3... and have fun playing with them. But you only like playing D3 with other people. You are normally in WoW or SC2 but would log into D3 if you knew you had someone to play with. So you add them to your RealID list. You don't know this person beyond the fact that he is fun to play with in D3. Why would you give this person your RL name? You wouldn't. It would serve no purpose.

So I ask again. Why is this feature like this? And why not change it or at least give those of us who are security conscience to hide our full name.

[Tierdal]

We don't need multiple "handles," thank you.

Don't clutter up the system to have others suffer for your naiveté. I have people I know in person that play SC2, and I like it that we can just punch in each other's email addresses and see who's who in game.

but you're free to go and try to get Facebook to change their similar system then maybe Battle.net will follow if you succeed.

...you already have separate handles in each game. It is your Game ID... ala Tierdal.Thex... or my wow character name... or whatever your Diablo character name is going to be...

and then you have your RealID... which is your email and is the same across all game mediums...

RealID should just be the default system. Everything should be done through email like MSN messenger. However it should not give full access to your private information.

[Joneleth]

Dude, they actually explicitly inform you that Real ID lets others see your real name, whenever you add a Friend.

If you don't wish that, do not use it. How hard is that?

Stop whining about something that Facebook and countless other social networking sites have been doing just fine without anyone pretend-raging over it.

[Toridas]

They are an internet acquaintance who is playing SC2 that I wanted to play Diablo 3 with. and would love to be able to see him log into SC2 and invite him to come play D3 with me.



"Hello internet acquaintance playing SC2, if you ever want to play Diablo 3 with me, my name on there is Tinfoilhat.Securityrisk, feel free to add me"

[Artem]

Just come out and say it -- you want cross chat functionality separate from the RealID system.

As it happens, I do too.

But I refuse to buy into your argument that you NEED it, and you're forced to expose yourself to security risks in order to obtain it.

[Vonhenry]

My name is Michael Smith.

Good luck finding me.

Edit:
Okay - I lied, my extension (shh) are my initials, but you get the idea. So, unless you're like my brother's friend who's name is, and I lie not, "Ballarama", you'll be okay.

:)

[Joneleth]

...you already have separate handles in each game. It is your Game ID... ala Tierdal.Thex... or my wow character name... or whatever your Diablo character name is going to be...
Exactly. If for some reason you wish to maintain anonymity, you're free to use those.

but for those who prefer not to keep track of multiple handles, there's Real ID - The Real Name, of your real friends.

Just come out and say it -- you want cross chat functionality separate from the RealID system.
As it happens, I do too.No. That'll cause everyone to keep track of at least 3 different handles.

"Hello internet acquaintance playing SC2, if you ever want to play Diablo 3 with me, my name on there is Tinfoilhat.Securityrisk, feel free to add me"THIS. THAT.

Problem solved. Closing thread.

[Tierdal]

Dude, they actually explicitly inform you that Real ID lets others see your real name, whenever you add a Friend.

If you don't wish that, do not use it. How hard is that?

Stop whining about something that Facebook and countless other social networking sites have been doing just fine without anyone pretend-raging over it.

I personally use my middle name on Facebook.com as my last name ever since they changed their security settings that stopped me from hiding myself and my posts from all by my friends. Thankfully Facebook allows you full access to edit your personal information.

[Artem]

THIS. THAT.

Problem solved. Closing thread.

Bah! I said that way back at post 11.

[Joneleth]

Bah! I said that way back at post 11.Paranoia is hard to get through. He'll continue to ignore that.

[Tierdal]

Exactly. If for some reason you wish to maintain anonymity, you're free to use those.

but for those who prefer not to keep track of multiple handles, there's Real ID - The Real Name, of your real friends.

No. That'll cause everyone to keep track of at least 3 different handles.

THIS. THAT.

Problem solved. Closing thread.

Actually if everything was emailed based like the RealID system then there would be 1 list, and 1 name to remember... just like MSN.

Artem, it is not that anyone needs it, or is forced to use it. It is that there is a flagrant security issue in a hot new feature for a game that has no purpose being there.

If people want their RealLID to be their real name then that is fine. If they want it to be their normal internet handle.. then that is fine as well. Privacy details should be in the end users hands.

Again nobody in this thread has given one good reason why the system is the way it is.

Give us the ability to edit our B.net account info or remove the automatic showing of real names in the RealID.

[Pat]

I dont understand people

The option to hide your RL name or to change your RL name should exist
If you dont like it, then dont use it
Theres no reason for it to not be an option though

Not being able to change it is just silly
What if i legally changed my name tomorrow
Or if a girl gets married tomorrow and her last name changes

[Artem]

Artem, it is not that anyone needs it, or is forced to use it. It is that there is a flagrant security issue in a hot new feature for a game that has no purpose being there.

Again, it's not a security issue unless you use it in a way for which it wasn't designed (internet buddies).

You want the feature to change to include more casual online friendships, and that's valid. But stop using security as your rallying cry, because that isn't valid.

[Static]

Hello former WoW friends from my days of playing WoW. I'd like to keep in contact with you while I play Starcraft 2 and battle.net, but I simply don't feel I trust you well enough to share my real name.

It may not be designed for internet buddies, but why ISN'T IT. Why should there NOT be a way for me to keep in contact with internet buddies cross games. Because you didn't want the interface cluttered up with ONE CHECKBOX? Oh, muffin.

[Aorin]

Do you give out all of your information to people the first time you meet them in real life? No? Me either. If I meet someone and I think they are fun to hang out with, then I generally just hope that I'll run into them again sometime and get to hang out some more. Eventually a friendship forms and then I'll give them my cell phone, email, what have you.

The same goes for this. If you like someone you play with, then add them to your friends list for that game. Next time you play that game you can look for them. If they are on, great. If you keep doing this, then eventually you'll know them well enough that you might be comfortable sharing more info including your real ID.

I just don't see why you think it's necessary to add people to your cross-game list after meeting them one time.

[Digitalstorm]

What would anyone do with your real life name is what I am wondering. Bob Jones is someones Real Life Name and its not like they are at any security risk because of it.

[Tierdal]

Again, it's not a security issue unless you use it in a way for which it wasn't designed (internet buddies).

You want the feature to change to include more casual online friendships, and that's valid. But stop using security as your rallying cry, because that isn't valid.

It is valid though. The system is the only way to cross game chat. It is a significant and touted feature by Blizzard.

They know full well that their are people out there, probably the majority in fact, that will want to cross game chat with MORE than just real life friends.

[Tierdal]

What would anyone do with your real life name is what I am wondering. Bob Jones is someones Real Life Name and its not like they are at any security risk because of it.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=identity+theft

[Artem]

It is valid though. The system is the only way to cross game chat. It is a significant and touted feature by Blizzard.

They know full well that their are people out there, probably the majority in fact, that will want to cross game chat with MORE than just real life friends.

There are a lot of people out there who want to buy gold for World of Warcraft. There are a lot of people out there who want to use maphacks for Starcraft 2.

People are going to abuse the system, sure. But any consequences they suffer for it as a result are on their heads for doing something stupid.

[Static]

Originally posted by Aorin.stabs

Do you give out all of your information to people the first time you meet them in real life? No? Me either. If I meet someone and I think they are fun to hang out with, then I generally just hope that I'll run into them again sometime and get to hang out some more. Eventually a friendship forms and then I'll give them my cell phone, email, what have you.

The same goes for this. If you like someone you play with, then add them to your friends list for that game. Next time you play that game you can look for them. If they are on, great. If you keep doing this, then eventually you'll know them well enough that you might be comfortable sharing more info including your real ID.

I just don't see why you think it's necessary to add people to your cross-game list after meeting them one time. Forget about people in Starcraft. I played WoW for a long time, and I have a lot of e-cybar-online-friends from it. I don't intend to go back to WoW, but I do like keeping in touch, even if you're not my bestest best buddy ever. Why do I have to tell all these people my full name? I don't want them knowing my full name. Not all of them.

Real-ID is a really nice feature that I salivated for for a long time, but forcing it to share your full name adds a condition to its use that I did not anticipate, and believe is entirely unnecessary.

[Jimhorton]

I think they need to be more clear about how they use your name. The privacy laws in some countries are quite strong. For a service that doesn't require regular billing, one could ask why they need to keep track of your name at all . Although I guess they have fancy lawyers who have looked at all this. All it takes is one kid under 16 to get tricked into adding the wrong 45 year old man, if you know what I mean, to his real ID and this is all over the news and the facts start to not matter much at that point.

[Essentia]

You do know that you're not the only person in the world with your exact first and last name, right?

I am actually, and no I'm not kidding.

[Tierdal]

There are a lot of people out there who want to buy gold for World of Warcraft. There are a lot of people out there who want to use maphacks for Starcraft 2.

People are going to abuse the system, sure. But any consequences they suffer for it as a result are on their heads for doing something stupid.

Not seeing how this in an abuse. Infact I have not seen any evidence that the RealID system was designed for REAL LIFE friends only. In fact everything I have read states that Real ID is Real Battle.net Id...

[Artem]

Not seeing how this in an abuse. Infact I have not seen any evidence that the RealID system was designed for REAL LIFE friends only. In fact everything I have read states that Real ID is Real Battle.net Id...


http://www.starcraft2.com/features/misc/battlenet.xml

"With the new Battle.net, we’re also introducing an entirely new concept called Real ID. With the Real ID feature, you are able to send invites and form friendships on Battle.net with your real-life friends and family."

Edit: More quotes.

"You will see your Real ID friends by their real name, along with any character they are logged in as. You will also be able to get rich presence information about what they are doing, send broadcast messages, and communicate cross-game between StarCraft II, Battle.net, and World of Warcraft.

And of course, Real ID is totally optional."

THAT'S why it's set up for real life friends only. Rarely do I want internet acquaintances to know not only what game I'm in, but what character I'm on, and what I'm doing on said character. It's a privacy issue.

Now, cross game chat? Sure. I'd love that.

[Joneleth]

I personally use my middle name on Facebook.com as my last name ever since they changed their security settings that stopped me from hiding myself and my posts from all by my friends. Thankfully Facebook allows you full access to edit your personal information.No one else has complained about this even half as much as you, and it looks like you go to uncommon lengths to hide your identity...

Just what do you do on the internets anyway?

[Epokh]

Hi Bryan Dodson.

The name alone is nothing. It is the information people can gather in passing used in conjunction with your name that matters.

I am not sure why I need to explain this. Scamming/identity theft..ect is a huge issue. It costs people and businesses and banks billions a year... It is not unreasonable to want your private information private.




You need to explain this because people are fundamentally retarded. You could tell someone to their face that you are going to use their name and phone number to attempt some form of identity theft and more than half of them will brush you off as a crazy person.

People still feel that they are safe in their little protective bubbles and that nothing bad could ever happen to them or that there is no one clever enough to do some data mining with a person's name to find out some more valuable information. I'm not saying that with a person's name someone can easily pull up their SIN or SSN, but with a little work on their end they could easily pull a phone number. From that phone number an address etc.

TL;DR Boo. The internet is scary.

[Token]

I agree with the OP, you shouldn't need to be IRL with someone to take advantage of the cross game chatting; if that is indeed how it will work.

[Sodamuffin]

I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be able to message people in other games without the Real ID thing. I thought that was the entire point of bnet 2.0.

[Token]

If THAT is the case then this whole thread stupid
/thread

[Yaz]

Sometimes you find people on the internet whose level headedness is a breath of fresh air. You happen to any good at T or P and want to play sometime? lol.

Sometimes I feel people will rail against something just to be against it. Nobody in this thread has given good reason why the system is the way it is. I've indicated how it could be improved for everyone... and yet people in this thread act like I am trying to throw their precious into the fires of mount doom.

Go figure.


I play T. Send me a message if you, or anybody else wants to play. I'm not all that great though but maybe I will be after the weekend ;)

[Thanners]

I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be able to message people in other games without the Real ID thing. I thought that was the entire point of bnet 2.0.

If this is the case, then yeah, there isn't really a problem at all. But since I'd already started writing the next few paragraphs, I'm just gonna put them down anyway. (c:

If this isn't the case, and RealID is the only way to communicate between Blizzard games, then this thread can be considered a simple request by a beta tester to be able to present an alias to the his/her Blizzard-games-network of friends, rather than a real name.

Although I personally don't really have such a strong objection to having my real name presented, I can understand that others might, and I don't understand how a feature to use an alias instead really hurts anything, or needs to be met with as much hostility as it has. It seemed a reasonable enough request.

[Blackened]

I personally use my middle name on Facebook.com as my last name ever since they changed their security settings that stopped me from hiding myself and my posts from all by my friends. Thankfully Facebook allows you full access to edit your personal information.


dude you need to take the steak knife out of your %!%%!!

[Tavis]

Hi Bryan Dodson.

The name alone is nothing. It is the information people can gather in passing used in conjunction with your name that matters.

I am not sure why I need to explain this. Scamming/identity theft..ect is a huge issue. It costs people and businesses and banks billions a year... It is not unreasonable to want your private information private.




This makes it a non-issue. If you're so worried about your name being out there, you're obviously not going to give up any other useful information. Watch what you say to people. Everyone wants to sit there blaming companies for lack of security. Ultimately, it's up to YOU to protect yourself. It's YOUR privacy and identity. You control what people know of you.

And TBH, I have a ton of WoW friends on my Facebook. I've had WoW friends pay for my WoW account for a month when I couldn't afford it. And I've done the same for them. I've had a WoW friend buy me Starcraft the other day, so I could play with him since I couldn't find my discs and didn't bind them to my Bnet account.

Point being, the whole world isn't out to get you. Chill out. Yeah, there's bad people out there. But that number is small in comparison. Yeah, take some precautions, but your name being posted IN GAME, over Bnet isn't that big of a deal. If it were posted all over the forums and whatnot, I could understand, but it's not.

[Kraal]

They need to allow us to set a single, unique alias per Bnet account which would be shown for RealID if so chosen instead of real life name.

I understand Blizzard's intent however it makes more sense for this to be a tool to keep in touch with e-buddies across Blizz games than for it to be ONLY usable with RL friends and family. I, and I'm sure many others, have far more RL contacts that don't play Blizz games than do. And with those that do play, we generally need a networking means which is broader reaching than just Blizz games. Most are not going to log into Bnet2.0 to update their friends on how the movie they just saw was. Most are not going to log into Bnet2.0 to tell their friends to come hang out at Bob'x place. Most RL social networking will happen through a less niche social network or through phone calls / SMS.

Bnet2.0 networking makes by far the most sense for in-game buddies. It makes sense to want your guildies from WoW to easily see you're on SC2 and remind you of that raid you forgot (and if you don't want them to, then you can just not give them your RealID). It makes sense to have some casual SC2 2v2 partners who can message you in WoW to see if you want to come play SC2 instead. Bnet2.0 will always be centric to Blizzard games and of only real interest to those who play it. By far the most friends in that category are online-only friends who we should not be forced to disclose our RL name solely to be able to easily chat across games without having to manage 3 different game handles per person.

[Thander]

I don't agree with getting rid of the current Real ID system. I just think, like others said, there should be a third option that allows cross game chat without giving people your real name. I think that most people in this age have at least as many online friends as they have real friends. Some people might even have more online friends than real friends if they live in a rural area or small town. It makes sense that there would be an option to play with them across games without needing to give out real names.

The three options I would like to see:
Game specific online friends - You've had a few good games with them either in 1vs1 or on the same team. You don't know anything about them except they are fun to play with or against in SC2.
Cross game online friends (the missing option) - You've played with them for a good number of months, but the only real life stuff you know of each other is general (things like what industry you work in or what major in college). Most online friendships fall in this category.
Real ID (real life) friends - You've met them in real life, found out they play Blizzard games, and play games with them regularly. You know their real name, their address, where they like to hang out, their interests outside of games, where they work, etc. A few rare online friendships will turn into this, but usually not until you have met them once in real life at some sort of get together with other friends.

[Drayen]

I don't think you quite get the intent of "RealID" -- it's intended to keep you in touch with your real friends across games.

As in, the people who know your real name already.

Regular friend functionality exists for online friends.

Also, if you don't trust these people with something as innocuous as your name, why do you want to keep in touch with them?

Doesn't have to be real friends, actually that won't be the case for most people i bet, its going to be for cross-game friends.

Regardless, i dont mind this personnally, but i think the OP has a point, it shouldnt display your real name, probably not your email too but thats another thing.

[Tierdal]

No one else has complained about this even half as much as you, and it looks like you go to uncommon lengths to hide your identity...

Just what do you do on the internets anyway?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem

[Seronic]

my name is Shane Donovan, and I live in Ottawa.


Come say hi sometime. Really, who cares who has my name or where I'm from. I highly doubt some starcraft 2 kid is going to fly down here and knock at over 1 million houses until they find me.

REALid is for real life friends. If you trust someone you met online enough to enter them into your realid, I am pretty sure they won't go and kill you. Don't worry, 99.9% of gamers are sane.

[Artem]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humour

[Kancho]

my name is Shane Donovan, and I live in Ottawa.


Come say hi sometime. Really, who cares who has my name or where I'm from. I highly doubt some starcraft 2 kid is going to fly down here and knock at over 1 million houses until they find me.

REALid is for real life friends. If you trust someone you met online enough to enter them into your realid, I am pretty sure they won't go and kill you. Don't worry, 99.9% of gamers are sane.

I pretty easily found your facebook page. Wearing a maple leaf jersey?

I agree that the RealID feature is a bit too intrusive. It would be nice to be able to change the display name around, similar to how a Steam account works.

[Artem]

I agree that the RealID feature is a bit too intrusive. It would be nice to be able to change the display name around, similar to how a Steam account works.

Why would your real life friends and family seeing your name feel intrusive?

Edit: More seriously, can we get back to posts like these

They need to allow us to set a single, unique alias per Bnet account which would be shown for RealID if so chosen instead of real life name.

I understand Blizzard's intent however it makes more sense for this to be a tool to keep in touch with e-buddies across Blizz games than for it to be ONLY usable with RL friends and family. I, and I'm sure many others, have far more RL contacts that don't play Blizz games than do. And with those that do play, we generally need a networking means which is broader reaching than just Blizz games. Most are not going to log into Bnet2.0 to update their friends on how the movie they just saw was. Most are not going to log into Bnet2.0 to tell their friends to come hang out at Bob'x place. Most RL social networking will happen through a less niche social network or through phone calls / SMS.

Bnet2.0 networking makes by far the most sense for in-game buddies. It makes sense to want your guildies from WoW to easily see you're on SC2 and remind you of that raid you forgot (and if you don't want them to, then you can just not give them your RealID). It makes sense to have some casual SC2 2v2 partners who can message you in WoW to see if you want to come play SC2 instead. Bnet2.0 will always be centric to Blizzard games and of only real interest to those who play it. By far the most friends in that category are online-only friends who we should not be forced to disclose our RL name solely to be able to easily chat across games without having to manage 3 different game handles per person.


I don't agree with getting rid of the current Real ID system. I just think, like others said, there should be a third option that allows cross game chat without giving people your real name. I think that most people in this age have at least as many online friends as they have real friends. Some people might even have more online friends than real friends if they live in a rural area or small town. It makes sense that there would be an option to play with them across games without needing to give out real names.

The three options I would like to see:
Game specific online friends - You've had a few good games with them either in 1vs1 or on the same team. You don't know anything about them except they are fun to play with or against in SC2.
Cross game online friends (the missing option) - You've played with them for a good number of months, but the only real life stuff you know of each other is general (things like what industry you work in or what major in college). Most online friendships fall in this category.
Real ID (real life) friends - You've met them in real life, found out they play Blizzard games, and play games with them regularly. You know their real name, their address, where they like to hang out, their interests outside of games, where they work, etc. A few rare online friendships will turn into this, but usually not until you have met them once in real life at some sort of get together with other friends.

which are both well-written and acknowledge that the functionality that people are asking for is NOT RealID, but something somewhere in the middle?

[Kancho]

Why would your real life friends and family seeing your name feel intrusive?

That's not intrusive at all. I agree with that.

However, the way many people will use it is to communicate with acquaintances from WoW or D3 in SC2 (or any mix of the three). That may not be Blizzard's intention, but they need to reassess the practicality of revealing someone's actual name with RealID.

Again, being able to change your display name around (Steam does this, for example) would be the perfect solution.

[Kraal]

The point is that the ability to have BNet-account-wide friends and cross-game chat should NOT be limited to just RL friends/family. It doesn't make sense. Most people have far more online friends who they would like to keep in touch with while playing online games, than RL friends who play the same games.

For example, I have easily over 40 online aquaintances/friends/guildmates from WoW who I'd like to be able to reach me while playing SC2/D3. On the other hand out of my whole extended family and out of my RL friends, only 3 play WoW and only one plays SC2.

All is needed is for an option to display an account-wide alias instead of a RL name if the person so chooses. It would still keep the single identity across Blizz games in effect, but wouldn't be handing out RL info on a social networking medium which is limited to players of 3 online games.

[Artem]

That's not intrusive at all. I agree with that.

However, the way many people will use it is to communicate with acquaintances from WoW or D3 in SC2 (or any mix of the three).

That would be desirable, yes.

That may not be Blizzard's intention, but they need to reassess the practicality of revealing someone's actual name with RealID.

Again, being able to change your display name around (Steam does this, for example) would be the perfect solution.

The problem therein is that the RealID functionality has a lot of built-in information that many people WOULDN'T want to give to online friends. As an example: Ever felt antisocial and wanted to hide on a low-level alt for an evening? You can't do that with RealID.

As quoted in my previous post, a third mid-level option would be ideal, enabling cross game communication AND retaining a level of privacy.

All is needed is for an option to display an account-wide alias instead of a RL name if the person so chooses. It would still keep the single identity across Blizz games in effect, but wouldn't be handing out RL info on a social networking medium which is limited to players of 3 online games.

If ALL RealID did was allow cross game communication, I would agree with you. But it does a lot more than that, which is why a third option is necessary.