Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ Party Poker Spyware?

[Professor77]

http://www.freestacks.com/partypokerhacking.htm is a screenshot of an
antispyware response to PartyPoker's software? What's up with this? The player
sent a letter to Party and their only response was to chat block him. Anybody
have any explanations?

[Namkce]

http://www.freestacks.com/partypokerhacking.htm is a screenshot of an
antispyware response to PartyPoker's software? What's up with this? The player
sent a letter to Party and their only response was to chat block him. Anybody
have any explanations?

Maybe it's poker party's response to all your posts about WinHold'em cheating software, and they're spying your computer now to see if anyone has it so that they can make you satified.

Seriously, this is not new news folks. If you read the EULA, you will see that this is stuff that they say they will do. Which is basically screen scraping and process monitoring. I can't say I agree with it entirely, but it's non-invasive enough for me that I am not having a paranoia attack about it.

[Wizdar]

Maybe it's poker party's response to all your posts about WinHold'em cheating software, and they're spying your computer now to see if anyone has it so that they can make you satified. 

Beautiful.

Too bad he doesn't read responses. That's one of the best.

[BUPoker]

I saw the same post in RPG...some people just need to get a life

[River-Monkey]

If you read the EULA, you will see that this is stuff that they say they will do.  Which is basically screen scraping and process monitoring.  I can't say I agree with it entirely, but it's non-invasive enough for me that I am not having a paranoia attack about it.

I totally disagree with this. While I understand it's important to protect the game system against cheating, in order to protect the casino, the players, and the integrity of the game, I think the screen scraping is horrible. While I play, I also work. I am logging into accounts, doing banking, and other things that PartyPoker and it's employees need not know about, or have access to.

And I think PartyPoker is well aware that what they are doing is wrong. I have written three letters to them, and they keep sending back non-responsive answers. One was a lengthy response about that nobody can hack my computer because their software uses 128 bit encryption, and another about underage gambling. What does that have to do with spyware? I wrote back asking that question, and got another non-responsive answer. They are very cagey and evasive about the issue.

There are also legality issues at stake. Spyware is becoming illegal in the US. California already has levied heavy fines against spyware companies, and if PartyPoker is found to be installing spyware on peoples computers (as they are), they could be subjected to serious legal problems, which could really hurt the upcoming IPO, and the chances of congress looking to the online poker industry as a legitimate industry.

[danimales]

If they are using spyware, wouldn't a firewall/anti-spyware software prevent them from doing this?

[River-Monkey]

If they are using spyware, wouldn't a firewall/anti-spyware software prevent them from doing this?

Spyware and firewall programs only block what they are told to. Just like anti-virus software. These programs cannot prevent and/or protect against things that are not in their library.

Since PartyPoker's software is going to send the screen scraping data along thru the client software, the only way for a firewall to block it is to close the port connecting you to PartyPoker's game servers. So, in essence, it's play or don't play.

As for the Spyware software detecting it, the only thing a spyware program could do would be to detect the entire application for PartyPoker. Unless the software is using an external application to run the screen scraping, the only way to stop the spying would be to delete the PartyPoker software. Again, play or don't play.

And if it is using an external application to handle the screen scraping, then it would probably be something that the main software would detect as not-running, and would not allow connections from people that deleted this part of the program group.

The only way to really play safely and securely is to play with nothing else running on your computer. People that will want to cheat can (and will) easily get around the protections against using the data mining software, anyways, by just running those applications on another computer, next to the one used for playing the game.

[80Pr00f]

Simple as this...if you dont want them scrapping your screen or whatever, then dont play there. You agreed to the EULA when you downloaded and installed the software, there is nothing 'shady' going on by the site. They tell you up front what they can and will do. I wouldnt want it happening to me either but if it became a big problem for me I would switch sites or just not balance my checkbook while playing. Simple as this....EULA.

-80