Ubisoft Faces Lawsuit for Collecting User Data in Single-Player Games Without Permission

Austrian data protection agency, Noyb, has filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft, claiming that the French company is collecting user data from single-player games without a valid legal reason.

The complaint is based on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a European law that protects personal data. Noyb argues that Ubisoft forces players to connect to the internet for single-player games, particularly on PC, so it can collect their data. If the court rules in favor of Noyb, Ubisoft could face a fine of up to 92 million euros and be required to delete all data collected this way.

The Reasons Behind the Lawsuit

Noyb’s complaint focuses on the fact that Ubisoft forces players to connect to the internet every time they start a single-player game, even if the game does not offer any online features. This allows Ubisoft to gather information about player behavior, including when players start the game, how long they play, and when they stop playing.

The complainant, an expert in technology, analyzed the data sent to Ubisoft during gameplay. They found that, in just 10 minutes, the game connected to external servers 150 times. Some of the companies receiving this data include Google, Amazon, and Datadog, a U.S.-based software company.

The GDPR Violation

Noyb argues that collecting this data without explicit user consent violates the GDPR. After the complainant asked Ubisoft why it requires an internet connection, Ubisoft couldn’t provide a clear answer. According to Article 6(1) of the GDPR, there seems to be no valid legal reason to collect data from users in this way.

The complainant reached out to Ubisoft’s customer support for further clarification. Ubisoft stated that the game only checks ownership at launch, and for the rest, players should refer to the End User License Agreement (EULA) and Ubisoft’s privacy policy.

However, the complainant never gave consent for this data collection. Since the game was purchased on Steam, ownership was already confirmed, and Ubisoft even offers a hidden option to play offline. This shows that collecting data by default is unnecessary, and even if it were, it wouldn’t justify the collection during gameplay. If Ubisoft wants to collect data to improve the game, it could simply ask players for permission.