about Party taking screenshots

[deviouz]

I have often read post and stuff about Party taking screenshots of your desktop to make sure you dont run any forbidden programs, is this true? if so, where are these screenshots suppose to be saved? I searched my intire hard drive and I didn't find anything, has anyone ever found any screeshots?

[Mogobu The Fool]

The official line from Party is that they do not take screenshots.

In the past, they might have taken screenshots, but it seems they were not doing so to detect forbidden apps. Rather, if they did detect a forbidden app, they would take a screenshot to document the incident.

They do currently throw software "hooks" which allow them to monitor mouse movement, keyboard action, and the screen, but that doesn't mean they are taking screenshots or being intrusive. Many legitimate apps, Party included, will throw such hooks so that they can interact with you and your system the way they want to.

Detecting a forbidden application by what's on your monitor is very difficult; there are better ways (such as scanning the running processes, registry, etc.)

The bottom line:

1. Party does not do screenshots, and there is no valid reason to have particular privacy concerns about Party or their use of hooks.
2. If you are using forbidden apps, you have cause to worry regardless of the fact that they are not using screenshots.

[iamastud]

[ QUOTE ]
The official line from Party is that they do not take screenshots.

In the past, they might have taken screenshots, but it seems they were not doing so to detect forbidden apps. Rather, if they did detect a forbidden app, they would take a screenshot to document the incident.

They do currently throw software "hooks" which allow them to monitor mouse movement, keyboard action, and the screen, but that doesn't mean they are taking screenshots or being intrusive. Many legitimate apps, Party included, will throw such hooks so that they can interact with you and your system the way they want to.

Detecting a forbidden application by what's on your monitor is very difficult; there are better ways (such as scanning the running processes, registry, etc.)

The bottom line:

1. Party does not do screenshots, and there is no valid reason to have particular privacy concerns about Party or their use of hooks.
2. If you are using forbidden apps, you have cause to worry regardless of the fact that they are not using screenshots.

[/ QUOTE ]

The above does not appear to be correct. They are constantly taking screen images. Check out a free program called snoopfree and you will see what i mean.

As for not worrying about hooks and drivers that another application installs on your computer, you should be quite worried and concerned about one installs on your computer as your privacy on your computer needs to be one;s utmost concern. Do not take it lighly when an external application tries to install drivers or hooks onto your system. It is your system and no elses to mess with.

SO be quite concerned with screen shots and illegal screen accesses, driver instalss and keyboard and mouse hooks. Be quite concerned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[iamastud]

One possible way to prevent intusion into one's computer by some external sight or application is to cinsider setting up a virtual machine. Such might require some computer savy, but the end result is that you ahve created an independent shell on your system and it is only that shell that becomes accesible to the outside and not the rest of your system in anyway including screens, drives, programs. You can set up a VM running under any operating system you desire such as windows98, XP, unix, whatever.

[deviouz]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The official line from Party is that they do not take screenshots.

In the past, they might have taken screenshots, but it seems they were not doing so to detect forbidden apps. Rather, if they did detect a forbidden app, they would take a screenshot to document the incident.

They do currently throw software "hooks" which allow them to monitor mouse movement, keyboard action, and the screen, but that doesn't mean they are taking screenshots or being intrusive. Many legitimate apps, Party included, will throw such hooks so that they can interact with you and your system the way they want to.

Detecting a forbidden application by what's on your monitor is very difficult; there are better ways (such as scanning the running processes, registry, etc.)

The bottom line:

1. Party does not do screenshots, and there is no valid reason to have particular privacy concerns about Party or their use of hooks.
2. If you are using forbidden apps, you have cause to worry regardless of the fact that they are not using screenshots.

[/ QUOTE ]

The above does not appear to be correct. They are constantly taking screen images. Check out a free program called snoopfree and you will see what i mean.

As for not worrying about hooks and drivers that another application installs on your computer, you should be quite worried and concerned about one installs on your computer as your privacy on your computer needs to be one;s utmost concern. Do not take it lighly when an external application tries to install drivers or hooks onto your system. It is your system and no elses to mess with.

SO be quite concerned with screen shots and illegal screen accesses, driver instalss and keyboard and mouse hooks. Be quite concerned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

if this is true then I am indeed concerned!! I don't run any forbidden apps but I DON'T want anyone snoping around my desktop I would treat that as a serious intrusion to my privacy, but can you actually prove it? can you tell me where the screens are being saved on my harddrive? I would like to se for my self, or how can you say for sure that they do take screenshots?

[iamastud]

I do not know if the screen shots are stored locally or simply uploaded to their site or if they are just viewed and analyzed on the run.

I know it is true because a piece of security software reports when an application tried to perform such operations as party does. However, Party admits them self that they do these measures to ensure game integrity and they simply state it on their website that they will gather information from one's sytem to make sure that one is not doing anything that part coinsiders giving one an unfair adantage.

Test and install some security software and you will see that Party is attempting to view screens and tries to load drivers or other software hooks when you start their application. But they do it, according to them, to prevent sheating or the running of illegal software. But in the process you have someone else with the ability to essentailly snoop your entire system, if needbe.

[deviouz]

[ QUOTE ]
I do not know if the screen shots are stored locally or simply uploaded to their site or if they are just viewed and analyzed on the run.

I know it is true because a piece of security software reports when an application tried to perform such operations as party does. However, Party admits them self that they do these measures to ensure game integrity and they simply state it on their website that they will gather information from one's sytem to make sure that one is not doing anything that part coinsiders giving one an unfair adantage.

Test and install some security software and you will see that Party is attempting to view screens and tries to load drivers or other software hooks when you start their application. But they do it, according to them, to prevent sheating or the running of illegal software. But in the process you have someone else with the ability to essentailly snoop your entire system, if needbe.

[/ QUOTE ]

what I know of, it would be impossible to send something unless it's saved first? but it could ofcourse be saved and then deleted first ting after they sent it, who knows what that software can do? what security software do you suggest?

[proell]

[ QUOTE ]

what I know of, it would be impossible to send something unless it's saved first?

[/ QUOTE ]


they do not need to save it as a file in order to process it and send it back to their servers.

[iamastud]

As for suggested software to block intusion, check the frquently asked uestions in this category and there will be a link to a forum topic discussing software safeguards.

if you are a little computer savy you can consider looking into setting up a vitual machine on your computer which will essentially hide oyur entire system from anybody else. But that is a more complicated thing which I have not attempted yet, but was suggested to me by a computer security expert in the field.

[dave88]

Snoopfree is still blocking screenshot attempts on my system quite regularly.