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Steam store pages are now required to disclose kernel-level anti-cheat [2024-10-30]
(steamcommunity.com)
Steam store pages received a new Anti-cheat field. Disclosure is mandatory for kernel-level anti-cheat solutions. And recommended for other anti-cheat solutions (like server-side or non-kernel-level client-side).
The field discloses the anti-cheat product, whether it is a kernel-level installation, and whether it uninstalls with the product or requires manual removal to remove.
Anti-cheat software is very clearly and explicitly spyware. That's the entire purpose of it. It spies on how you use your software in the hope that if you cheat you'll be seen by the spyware watching you.
This spyware is generally not something people want on their computer - as evidenced by people complaining about it. So effectively whats happening is that people are being spied on against their wishes. Spyware is a common category of malware.
So I think it's pretty easy to see why people might describe anti-cheat software as malware.
Nah words have meaning. I get you don't like it but that doesn't make it spyware or malware.
Spyware isn't about watching your system or memory it's about stealing personal information.
These anti cheats specifically comply with privacy laws or they wouldn't be allowed. You won't find any breaking any laws.
Anti virus and anti malware applications do the same. Doesn't make them spyware.
A person can choose to install anti-virus software, or to not install it. And they can choose when it runs. So that's a key difference. The anit-cheat software is not there by choice.
As for not stealing personal information... yeah, I'm sure all the private companies involved from all over the world are very diligently handling this of the data in a highly secure way, and are acting consistently with USA's very strict privacy laws... Except that the USA doesn't have strict privacy laws, and the security record of game companies in general is not stellar; and it's very hard to tell what happens behind your back.
You're giving the company kernel level access to your computer. That basically means they can do whatever they want. And you can't really tell if they are behaving themselves beyond them just saying "trust us". Maybe everything is great. But I wouldn't count on it.
It is literally installed by choice. It's part of the game installation. It's up to users to know what they are installing. Many games likely install lots of things that aren't immediately obvious.
It doesn't infiltrate the system.
Except when all you get is an UAC prompt when clicking the play button, without giving you any information, other than that it wants to execute an exe in a temp dir with a random name.