cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/10958052
Vanguard, the controversial anti-cheat software initially attached to Valorant, is now also coming to League of Legends.
Summary:
The article discusses Riot Games’ requirement for players to install their Vanguard anti-cheat software, which runs at the kernel level, in order to play their games such as League of Legends and Valorant. The software aims to combat cheating by scanning for known vulnerabilities and blocking them, as well as monitoring for suspicious activity while the game is being played. However, the use of kernel-level software raises concerns about privacy and security, as it grants the company complete access to users’ devices.
The article highlights that Riot Games is owned by Tencent, a Chinese tech giant that has been involved in censorship and surveillance activities in China. This raises concerns that Vanguard could potentially be used for similar purposes, such as monitoring players’ activity and restricting free speech in-game.
Ultimately, the decision to install Vanguard rests with players, but the article urges caution and encourages players to consider the potential risks and implications before doing so.
I’d much rather have the USA as a world leader, but considering that neither if them are anywhere near that level of control, giving my data to China is the better option.
If the US has my data and the worst case happens, i.e. anything in my data labels me as a terrorist (let’s be honest, nothing else matters to the NSA, they don’t care about your day to day life), then the possibility is high that my own government gets a hint and I’m locked up pretty quickly.
If China has my data the worst case is that I can’t set foot into China, that’s it.
Both options are shit, but having their data in China means less possible harm for anyone that isn’t a Chinese or Russian citizen.