Once again we see Germany providing greater privacy protection than the U.S. The Local (De) reports:
Top video game maker EA has been forced to modify the terms and conditions of its online distribution system Origin following allegations that it violated German privacy regulations.
Controversy over Origin, a downloadable client which allows for games to be easily purchased and networked on computers, made German headlines recently because its use is required in order to play the popular new first person shooter, Battlefield 3.
Der Spiegel magazine reported that the service’s terms and conditions appear to be a literal translation from the American terms, which would violate German privacy law.
According to the magazine, the software allows EA and its partners to gather private information like IP addresses and usage data and also lets EA check licensing rights for EA products on a computer without notifying the user.
Read more on The Local (De)