ban | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Sat, 16 Oct 2021 12:52:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png ban | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Valve is banning blockchain games and NFTs from Steam https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/valve-is-banning-blockchain-games-and-nfts-from-steam/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/valve-is-banning-blockchain-games-and-nfts-from-steam/#respond Sat, 16 Oct 2021 10:00:39 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=535790 Alongside the latest cryptocurrency wave, NFT and blockchain games have started to bloom more than ever. At the moment, many developers are working on blockchain-based games with NFTs, and some are already on Steam. However, that will soon change, as Valve is banning all blockchain games and NFTs from its game store. The developer of …

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Alongside the latest cryptocurrency wave, NFT and blockchain games have started to bloom more than ever. At the moment, many developers are working on blockchain-based games with NFTs, and some are already on Steam. However, that will soon change, as Valve is banning all blockchain games and NFTs from its game store.

The developer of Age of Rust, a blockchain-based game that awards you with NFTs for completing puzzles, was notified that Steam would ban all blockchain games and NFTs from Steam because they have real-world value, and that's against the rules. Looking at the updated “Rules and Guidelines” of Steam's onboarding page, you can see that the thirteenth point specifically rules out “applications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs”. The new rule is still absent from the same section on the Steamworks distribution program page, but it should be added soon.

Blockchain games and NFTs are sometimes associated with scams, and it would seem that Valve does not want to be linked to that kind of activity. With that said, some games based on these new technologies have found success, like Axie Infinity.

This new ban on Steam will likely also have an impact on the Steam Marketplace, which already has some items that look like NFTs. Valve has not revealed its plans for Steam Marketplace items yet, but any future changes would likely prohibit any NFTs from being sold or traded outside of the Steam Marketplace.

KitGuru says: Do you agree with Steam's decision? Do you think that blockchain games and NFTs will play a big role in the future of gaming? 

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Roblox bans hand holding and kissing https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/roblox-bans-hand-holding-and-kissing/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/roblox-bans-hand-holding-and-kissing/#respond Tue, 12 Oct 2021 11:30:38 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=535118 Roblox is one of the biggest games in the world, played by over 200 million people every month. A large proportion of these players are children, and so as a measure of ‘protection’ the online social sandbox game has now banned hand holding, kissing, and “other romantic gestures in a romantic context.” Roblox recently updated …

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Roblox is one of the biggest games in the world, played by over 200 million people every month. A large proportion of these players are children, and so as a measure of ‘protection’ the online social sandbox game has now banned hand holding, kissing, and “other romantic gestures in a romantic context.”

Roblox recently updated its terms of service, which alongside changes to the way that its IP is allowed to be used, has now banned a number of ‘romantic’ gestures in game.

To be more specific, Roblox announced that “Roblox is a safe space for meeting online friends, chatting, and collaborating on creative projects, but we prohibit content that seeks or portrays romantic relationships, including:

  • Animations of kissing, hand holding, or other romantic gestures in a romantic context
  • Experiences that depict romantic events, including weddings, dates, and honeymoons”

While this may seem odd initially, the game is heavily targeted towards – and played by – children, and so though such actions may not be inappropriate in isolation, they can be exploited and abused by adults attempting to groom children.

Though the actions taken by Roblox may be seen as slightly extreme, for many this is likely to be an acceptable move. Even if some may consider this to be censoring and policing one's actions, the fact that Roblox’s association with children is so high means that amajority of users will likely be willing to accept these changes in the name of safeguarding children.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the new terms of service? Do you agree with this change? Do you play Roblox? Let us know down below.

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Dr Disrespect apparently doesn’t know why Twitch banned his account https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/dr-disrespect-apparently-doesnt-know-why-twitch-banned-his-account/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/dr-disrespect-apparently-doesnt-know-why-twitch-banned-his-account/#respond Sun, 28 Jun 2020 15:25:37 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=474203 Just a few months ago, Twitch signed Dr Disrespect to a very lucrative exclusivity deal to keep streaming on the platform. Things took a rather drastic turn this week though, as he was banned, reportedly permanently.  There are plenty of rumours around why Dr Disrespect may have been banned but for now, the man himself …

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Just a few months ago, Twitch signed Dr Disrespect to a very lucrative exclusivity deal to keep streaming on the platform. Things took a rather drastic turn this week though, as he was banned, reportedly permanently. 

There are plenty of rumours around why Dr Disrespect may have been banned but for now, the man himself says that Twitch has not yet given a specific reason:

There are of course plenty of rumours over what may have caused this, ranging from secret contract talks with competing platforms all the way to potential violations of the law.

Rod Breslau, a notable esports journalist, reported that the ban was intended to be permanent and has also been in touch with sources claiming to know why the ban was passed down. However, for the time being, those reasons are not public.

KitGuru Says: There has been a wave of allegations amongst streamers over the last couple of weeks, but so far, we don’t know if Dr Disrespect’s ban has anything to do with that. Either way, Twitch seems to know something that the rest of us don’t. Hopefully we can get some answers in the coming days. 

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Riot begins Valorant ban waves for sold beta accounts https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/riot-begins-valorant-ban-waves-for-sold-beta-accounts/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/riot-begins-valorant-ban-waves-for-sold-beta-accounts/#respond Thu, 09 Apr 2020 13:30:56 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=461360 There is plenty of buzz surrounding Riot’s new shooter, Valorant. As a result, demand for closed beta access is incredibly high, leading to accounts being sold for over $150 on sites like eBay. Due to this, the ban hammer has been raised early, with a number of accounts being booted from the beta and freeing …

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There is plenty of buzz surrounding Riot’s new shooter, Valorant. As a result, demand for closed beta access is incredibly high, leading to accounts being sold for over $150 on sites like eBay. Due to this, the ban hammer has been raised early, with a number of accounts being booted from the beta and freeing up access for those going through intended channels.

In a post going over the 48 hours since the closed beta launched, Riot explains that in order to support “a stable, competitive, high-fidelity gameplay experience”, it needs to “be careful about how many players we let into Closed Beta over the course of the next few days and weeks”. Those attempting to get into the beta via the Twitch drops system should also know that drops are granted randomly based on a stream view threshold of roughly 2 hours, so you don’t need to camp in streams for entire days at a time.

If you are looking to cheat the system and buy your way into the beta, then you may well run into problems. Last night, the Valorant team announced that it is already monitoring account sellers and issuing bans: “We are actively looking into account sellers. If you buy an account for VALORANT access, please be aware that your account could be banned before launch.”

The same goes for view botters camping on Twitch. These accounts are being banned and those spots in the beta are then being passed back on to those following the rules.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It can be tempting to pay your way into hyped closed betas at times, but since Valorant is not using a traditional key system, there is much closer monitoring on accounts, increasing the likelihood of sold accounts being caught. With that in mind, it is better not to risk it, even if you have the money to spare.

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Huawei reports strong sales despite US ban https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/mustafa-mahmoud/huawei-reports-strong-sales-despite-us-ban/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/mustafa-mahmoud/huawei-reports-strong-sales-despite-us-ban/#respond Thu, 17 Oct 2019 09:47:37 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=430373 Despite being added to the US Entity list in May, effectively banning all US companies from trading with Huawei, the Chinese tech giant appears to be doing just fine. While the future of US-Huawei relations seems to be uncertain, the company hasn’t been resting on its laurels. Huawei has reportedly shipped over 185 million smartphones …

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Despite being added to the US Entity list in May, effectively banning all US companies from trading with Huawei, the Chinese tech giant appears to be doing just fine.

While the future of US-Huawei relations seems to be uncertain, the company hasn’t been resting on its laurels. Huawei has reportedly shipped over 185 million smartphones in the first three quarters of 2019, which represents a year-on-year growth of 26%. Equally, revenue for the first three quarters has seen a year-on-year growth of 24.4%, with Huawei making 610.8 billion yuan (£67.37b).

Furthermore, Huawei have also signed more than 60 commercial contracts, giving them the rights to provide 5G equipment around the world. This is despite the fears that Huawei would have the capabilities to provide a backdoor in its network for the Chinese government to use.

It seems that as of right now, the US ban has been unsuccessful in preventing Huawei from maintaining its position as the second highest selling phone manufacturer – a feat it snatched from Apple in 2018. The real test is yet to come however. Back in September, Huawei revealed its latest flagship: the Mate 30 Pro. This phone lacks a feature however, that all its other phones shipped in 2019 (in the west) did – Google services.

The lack of the Google Play Store, and other major Google services, may be the thing that finally slows down Huawei’s growth streak. Talks between the US and Huawei are constantly evolving however, so in the long run it may simply be a blip on the radar, but that remains to be seen.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the Mate 30 Pro? Would you buy an Android phone without Google Play Services? Let us know down below.

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Respawn’s latest crackdown sees 770K Apex Legends cheaters banned https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/respawns-latest-crackdown-sees-770k-apex-legends-cheaters-banned/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/respawns-latest-crackdown-sees-770k-apex-legends-cheaters-banned/#respond Tue, 07 May 2019 11:45:43 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=412447 Apex Legends has been out since February and during that time, tens of millions of players have downloaded the game. Of course, as with any fast-rising, free to play multiplayer game, cheaters did flock in. In March, Respawn banned over 350K cheaters but new workarounds were eventually found. Now this past month, Respawn has cracked …

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Apex Legends has been out since February and during that time, tens of millions of players have downloaded the game. Of course, as with any fast-rising, free to play multiplayer game, cheaters did flock in. In March, Respawn banned over 350K cheaters but new workarounds were eventually found. Now this past month, Respawn has cracked down on over 770,000 cheaters.

Last week, Respawn announced that 770,000 players have been banned and 300,000 new account creations were blocked. In addition, 4,000 accounts were banned for attempting to sell cheats to others in-game.

Respawn Entertainment did make a commitment to improve cheat detection and security for Apex Legends and this latest ban wave appears to be a direct result of that. Respawn “can't share details” on exactly what its doing as then cheat creators could find workarounds quicker.

However, Respawn did say that it is continuing to tackle the issue of cheating “from every angle”, including improvements to cheat detection tools adding additional people to the anti-cheat team and making changes to in-game reporting and review processes.

Of course, eradicating cheaters is never going to be 100% successful but as long as Respawn can keep at it, the vast majority of players should be able to enjoy the game as intended, while cheaters won't be allowed to roam free for very long.

KitGuru Says: PUBG's reputation was hurt for quite some time due to the number of cheaters and slow reactions from anti-cheat. I began to see similar complaints about Apex from readers in the last few weeks. Now that this ban wave has occurred, hopefully things will start to improve. Do many of you still play Apex Legends? Have you had any issues with cheaters in the last week or so?

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Bethesda offers essay criteria in order to appeal Fallout 76 bans https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/bethesda-offers-essay-criteria-in-order-to-appeal-fallout-76-bans/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/bethesda-offers-essay-criteria-in-order-to-appeal-fallout-76-bans/#respond Thu, 27 Dec 2018 11:51:23 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=399345 Bethesda recently unleashed a ban wave in Fallout 76, seeing players that utilise cheat programs and mods locked from their accounts. These players have all received an email notifying them of their ban, ending with criteria for an essay that allows them to begin the appeal process. The email allegedly from Bethesda Support opens by …

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Bethesda recently unleashed a ban wave in Fallout 76, seeing players that utilise cheat programs and mods locked from their accounts. These players have all received an email notifying them of their ban, ending with criteria for an essay that allows them to begin the appeal process.

The email allegedly from Bethesda Support opens by telling users that their “account has violated the code of conduct and terms of service by cheating. The account was detected to be running a third-party application, which provides an unfair in-game advantage while logged into Fallout 76.”

According to YouTuber JuiceHead, members of the Fallout Reddit have complained that they have been unfairly banned, and the supposed email does little to explain why. Attempting to get to the bottom of things, JuiceHead with the help of the community determines that it could be the use of Reshade, a popular mod tool often used to modify the visuals of a game, however it can also be used to duplicate items, mods or Fallout 76 could potentially scan background files to uncover possibly malicious software, such as CheatEngine.

This is a particularly strange scenario for Bethesda, which has previously relied heavily on modifications to prolong interest in its open-world games. Although these particular users might not have caught wind, Bethesda did spend some time prior to the release of Fallout 76 explaining that mods of any kind would only be allowed when private servers eventually make their way into the game.

Fortunately, Bethesda Support has offered a new method of appeal should any affected user decide they want back in on the game:

“If you would like to appeal this account closure, we would be willing to accept an essay on ‘Why the use of third-party cheat software is detrimental to an online game community,’ for our management team to review.”

Having three separate people send the exact same wording, JuiceHead believes the email to be real despite criticising his small sample size. Bethesda has yet to verify the legitimacy of the emails sent out, but it isn’t out of character for the company to send something tongue-in-cheek to rule breakers.

KitGuru Says: Although Reshade and mods are common in previous Bethesda games, the multiplayer nature of Fallout 76 should be taken into account before running anything in the background. Do you believe you were wrongfully banned?

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Banned CS:GO pro regrets ever playing the game https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/banned-csgo-pro-regrets-ever-playing-the-game/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/banned-csgo-pro-regrets-ever-playing-the-game/#respond Fri, 26 Oct 2018 08:02:17 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=392564 This week, the big story in esports has been the disbanding of OpTic India's CS:GO team, after Nikhil ‘forsaken' Kumawat was caught cheating at a tournament live on stage. Since then, the Esports Integrity Coalition has handed down a 5-year ban to the player and while he has the opportunity to appeal, it sounds like …

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This week, the big story in esports has been the disbanding of OpTic India's CS:GO team, after Nikhil ‘forsaken' Kumawat was caught cheating at a tournament live on stage. Since then, the Esports Integrity Coalition has handed down a 5-year ban to the player and while he has the opportunity to appeal, it sounds like he'll be leaving Counter-Strike behind instead.

In an interview with AFK Gaming, Kumawat finally responded to the cheating scandal, saying that he wishes he'd never started playing Counter-Strike at all: “I would probably delete the day when I first played counterstrike on. Nothing good has happened to me since the day I started playing this game. I thought this game was for me but since last almost one year I have not been loyal to it. I worked hard but I wasn't loyal. I gave everything away for the game, I always put this game above everything else and today I realize what I have lost.”

Kumawat also explained during the interview that his cheat was to compensate for poor aim but not in a overly obvious way. He used this cheat during bootcamp training with his teammates but is adamant that nobody else knew about it. The interview ends with him apologizing to his teammates and OpTic management for stealing opportunities away and jeopardizing their careers.

After handing down the 5-year ban yesterday, ESIC Commissioner, Ian Smith, stated that he hopes we “never see [Kumawat] back in CS:GO or any other game again”. From the sounds of it, we won't be seeing him in esports again, as he plans to “do something else” with his life to better help his family.

KitGuru Says: If you aren't confident in your aiming ability, then CS:GO isn't going to be the game for you, particularly when playing at the highest competitive levels. As a fan of CS:GO myself, I am hoping this is the only cheating scandal we'll see for a good while.

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Esports Integrity Coalition hands down 5-year ban to former OpTic India player for cheating https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/esports-integrity-coalition-hands-down-5-year-ban-to-former-optic-india-player-for-cheating/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/esports-integrity-coalition-hands-down-5-year-ban-to-former-optic-india-player-for-cheating/#respond Thu, 25 Oct 2018 07:41:22 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=392399 A few days ago, the esports world was rocked after a player was caught cheating live on stage during a tournament. Former OpTic India CS:GO player, Nikhil ‘forsaken' Kumawat tried to physically stop admins from checking his PC and then tried to quickly delete the cheat, but it was no use. This led to OpTic …

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A few days ago, the esports world was rocked after a player was caught cheating live on stage during a tournament. Former OpTic India CS:GO player, Nikhil ‘forsaken' Kumawat tried to physically stop admins from checking his PC and then tried to quickly delete the cheat, but it was no use. This led to OpTic India releasing its whole CS:GO roster from their contracts and taking a step back from the game. Now, Kumawat has been handed a five-year ban from ‘all esports related activity'.

The ban was handed down by the esports Integrity Coalition and prevents Kumawat from playing any other competitive games in a professional capacity for any ESIC organisation for give years. This ban was determined after he was found to not only have cheated during the ESL India Premiership tournament but also at Extremeland Asia.

In a statement, ESIC said: “Whilst a substantial amount of the evidence has been available publicly for a few days and there have been many calls for a quick decision and a lifetime ban, we have taken our time to ensure a proper procedure has been followed in accordance with the Code of Conduct to which Kumawat was subject during the Premiership”.

“He was entitled and remains entitled to due process and natural justice. Consequently, we have tried to contact him to offer him a reasonable time to consider the evidence and take the opportunity to plead guilty and accept a proposed sanction or plead not guilty and defend himself before our independent Disciplinary Panel. He has not responded to our attempts to contact him.”

Kumawat could have received a lifetime ban but ended up getting a slightly lighter punishment. Still, ESIC commissioner, Ian Smith, didn't hold back when discussing his transgressions, stating that there is “no place in esports for cheats like Kumawat and, at a personal level, I hope we never see him back in CS:GO or any other game again”.

KitGuru Says: As esports continues to grow worldwide, maintaining the integrity of tournaments is going to be paramount to continued success. Harsh punishments are to be expected for cheaters and these situations should serve as a warning to anyone else hoping to get away with the same thing.

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Facebook readies its banhammer as rules tighten against voting misinformation https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/facebook-readies-its-banhammer-as-rules-tighten-against-voting-misinformation/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/facebook-readies-its-banhammer-as-rules-tighten-against-voting-misinformation/#respond Tue, 16 Oct 2018 11:14:13 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=391176 Last week, Facebook managed to proudly clamp down on hundreds of accounts geared towards fake news and misinformation ahead of the US midterm elections. Due to growing tensions with Congress, however, the social network isn’t stopping there as Facebook broadens its policies against voter manipulation. While false dates, times, locations and voting conditions have been …

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Last week, Facebook managed to proudly clamp down on hundreds of accounts geared towards fake news and misinformation ahead of the US midterm elections. Due to growing tensions with Congress, however, the social network isn’t stopping there as Facebook broadens its policies against voter manipulation.

While false dates, times, locations and voting conditions have been punished by Facebook since 2016, the platform is expanding its policy to include action against wrongful voting methods, such as via text message. Another frequently reported falsehood that voting in the primary will discount votes in the general election will transition into a bannable offense.

Considering policing such a widespread effort to disseminate false information is almost an impossible task, Facebook has expanded its range of reporting tools, allowing users to flag malicious content. The social network has always asked for feedback as to why a user has reported a comment, now making it easier by including a pre-defined “Incorrect Voting Info” tag for third-party fact-checkers to review.

“Expanding our policy is just one of the steps we’re taking to strengthen the integrity of elections around the world,” explains the blog post. “We’re also getting better at detecting and removing fake accounts and increasing transparency across political and issue ads on the platform.”

KitGuru Says: Although this is a commendable effort, the same kind of tactics are unlikely to be employed internationally as this stemmed from the pressure of Facebook’s local government. Still, we can hope to see this in the UK, Europe and elsewhere during sensitive times.

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Rainbow Six Siege update brings harsher punishments for team killing https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/rainbow-six-siege-update-brings-harsher-punishments-for-team-killing/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/rainbow-six-siege-update-brings-harsher-punishments-for-team-killing/#respond Thu, 20 Sep 2018 09:17:14 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=387367 Ubisoft has been working on improving Rainbow Six Siege with frequent updates since release, many of which have revolved around stomping out bad community practises. This week, Ubisoft turned its attention to team killing, which will now result in an instant ban going forward. Up until now, players have been able to team kill twice …

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Ubisoft has been working on improving Rainbow Six Siege with frequent updates since release, many of which have revolved around stomping out bad community practises. This week, Ubisoft turned its attention to team killing, which will now result in an instant ban going forward.

Up until now, players have been able to team kill twice before being booted from a match in casual mode. There was no matchmaking ban in place in casual, so players offending players could jump straight back into a new game. That changes with the most recent patch, which breaks down team kill punishments as follows:

  • First offense: Banned from Matchmaking for 30 minutes
  • Second offense: Banned from Matchmaking for 1 hour
  • Third offense: Banned from Matchmaking for 2 hours.
  • Fourth offense: Banned from Matchmaking for 24 hours.
  • Fifth offense: Banned from Matchmaking for 7 days.

The same punishments apply in Rainbow Six Siege's competitive mode. Once a player is banned from matchmaking, it locks them out of casual, ranked and Terrorist Hunt modes until the timer runs out.

There is a timer in place, so if you team kill once and get banned, waiting a certain period of time will reset the clock. That means if you get banned today but don't team kill again for a couple of weeks, then your next offense will count as a 1st offense once again. Ubisoft hasn't confirmed the exact amount of time players need to wait for the timer to be reset, which makes sense as it makes it harder to abuse the system.

KitGuru Says: I've not played Rainbow Six Siege for a few months at this point but I'm usually itching to jump back in. Have any of you played since the Grim Sky update? What do you think of these new team kill ban changes?

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ZTE says US ban will ‘severely impact’ its survival and partnerships https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/zte-says-us-ban-will-severely-impact-its-survival-and-partnerships/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/zte-says-us-ban-will-severely-impact-its-survival-and-partnerships/#respond Mon, 23 Apr 2018 12:03:46 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=371270 Last week, ZTE was hit hard as the US government banned the company. Under the ban, the China-based smartphone maker can't get hold of Qualcomm chips and it stands to lose its license to use Android. Now ZTE has spoken out on the subject, saying that the ban will “severely impact” its survival going forward. …

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Last week, ZTE was hit hard as the US government banned the company. Under the ban, the China-based smartphone maker can't get hold of Qualcomm chips and it stands to lose its license to use Android. Now ZTE has spoken out on the subject, saying that the ban will “severely impact” its survival going forward.

The US Department of Commerce banned US exports to the company after it found that ZTE violated an agreement. The company is said to have been illegally exporting US technology to North Korea and Iran, once caught, the company failed to discipline the staff members associated with the exports.

As quoted by The Verge, ZTE has since spoken about the ban, stating that it invested “tremendous resources in export compliance”, adding that the ban will “not only severely impact the survival and development of ZTE, but will also cause damages to partners”. That last part is significant, as ZTE is a customer of several US-based companies, including Qualcomm.

In response to the situation ZTE has reportedly assembled a ‘crisis team' in order to figure out the next step. It's not just the US giving ZTE trouble though, as the UK government also labelled the company as a national security concern last week.

KitGuru Says: It will be interesting to see where this goes, but for the time being, it looks like ZTE will need to source its chips elsewhere and potentially turn to another operating system. There is a huge smartphone market in Asia that ZTE can tap into, but if it loses access to Android, then it will be at a disadvantage. 

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ZTE might lose its Android license due to US sales ban https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/zte-might-lose-its-android-license-due-to-us-sales-ban/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/zte-might-lose-its-android-license-due-to-us-sales-ban/#respond Wed, 18 Apr 2018 10:48:07 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=370553 This week, Chinese smartphone maker ZTE came under fire in both the UK and the US. Here in the UK, the government warned that the company's devices pose a risk to national security, meanwhile the US Department of Commerce blacklisted the company. Due to the ban in the US, ZTE will no longer be able …

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This week, Chinese smartphone maker ZTE came under fire in both the UK and the US. Here in the UK, the government warned that the company's devices pose a risk to national security, meanwhile the US Department of Commerce blacklisted the company. Due to the ban in the US, ZTE will no longer be able to acquire Qualcomm processors for its smartphones, and it could potentially lose its licence to use Android.

On Monday, the US Department of Commerce issued a seven-year supply ban to ZTE, which means the company loses access to technologies created by both Qualcomm and Dolby. Aside from hardware, it could also impact the company's ability to ship Android-based devices. According to a source speaking with Reuters, the company is in danger of losing its Android license from Google, but no final decisions have been made at the time of publishing.

While the UK security warning is bad news for ZTE, the supply ban in the US poses a bigger issue. It is estimated that ZTE sources a third of its components from US companies, and without access, it will need to completely rethink its smartphone line up.

The ban itself was issued after ZTE violated a trade agreement and was caught shipping US technology to Iran and North Korea. Initially, ZTE was set to let go of senior staff members and discipline 35 more, but according to Wilbur Ross, the US secretary of commerce, these staff members for ‘rewarded' instead.

Discuss on our Facebook page, or over on our Twitter.

KitGuru Says: Asia is a huge market for smartphone sales, so ZTE could survive outside of the US. However, losing the Android license could end up being a big problem. 

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Insel Games removed from Steam for strong arming employees to review its own game https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/insel-games-removed-from-steam-for-strong-arming-employees-to-review-its-own-game/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/insel-games-removed-from-steam-for-strong-arming-employees-to-review-its-own-game/#respond Thu, 15 Feb 2018 10:40:12 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=364215 Maltese video game publisher Insel Games has been under fire recently, as an employee email leaked suggesting that it was pressuring its staff to write positive emails on its latest title Wild Busters. Strictly prohibited in Valve’s terms and conditions, this has led to the studio being forcibly removed from selling any products, prior or …

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Maltese video game publisher Insel Games has been under fire recently, as an employee email leaked suggesting that it was pressuring its staff to write positive emails on its latest title Wild Busters. Strictly prohibited in Valve’s terms and conditions, this has led to the studio being forcibly removed from selling any products, prior or new on the Steam marketplace.

The publisher was exposed in a trending Reddit thread that detailed a screenshot of an email sent out by Insel Games’ CEO and co-founder Patrick Streppel. While the email rightfully has all personal information redacted, the CEO can be seen concerned about the success of its crowdfunded MMO, title Wild Busters.

“Sadly, Wild Busters revenue has so far not met expectations and it will be even more difficult to turn things around during the weekend as the first day is usually the strongest,” explains Streppel. “One of the major issues: the fact that we do not have a review score,” Streppel wrote. “I [sic] fact, we have currently 6 reviews. If I alone count the people in IME and Insel… I count more than 6 people.”

The remainder of the email details how Streppel has personally addressed the fact that staff need to review their own game prior, and in tackling it again here, he emphasises that they do so or “discuss this individually and privately” the following day otherwise. This strong-arm method correlates with a spike in positive reviews for the title on Steam, with many of the accounts only ever having reviewed Insel’s titles.

Valve, of course, caught wind and promptly removed the developer from its Steam platform. “The publisher appears to have used multiple Steam accounts to post positive reviews for their own games,” wrote Valve release manager Jason Ruymen on the store page for Guardians of Ember, another of Insel’s recent games. “This is a clear violation of our review policy and something we take very seriously. For these reasons, we are ending our business relationship with Insel Games Ltd. and removing their games from our store.”

Insel has addressed the issue in a statement that can be read in full below, admitting fault but dismissing the ill intentions that the wording of the email implied. The publisher plans to appeal Valve’s decision and continuously work with the company to continue improving its own practices. For those concerned that they won’t be able to access Wild Busters, the title will be available through Insel’s own channels and purchased games will remain accessible through Steam libraries.

“At the day of EA launch in December an email was sent to everyone in the company telling staff (about 20 people including freelancers) how important reviews are in the Steam ecosystem and that a failure of Wild Buster would mean the company was in jeopardy. It was meant to rally people’s support, including advertising the game to their family and friends, in the hope to simply get more reviews.

It was never intended to threaten anyone but just state the importance of reviews for the whole company. No staff has received penalties for not buying the game or writing a review. There also never were texts or instructions provided how to write the review. We sincerely apologize for the misleading wording in the email and the practice in general.

We, the complete team behind Insel Games, will keep working on improving Guardians of Ember and Wild Buster which are still available through other channels. We hope to regain the trust of players through our future actions and are further in discussion with Steam about this incident.

Until then current Steam owners or those in possession of a Steam key can continue to play normally.”

KitGuru Says: Valve is often unforgiving in this department and it is unlikely that it will repeal its decision as it might set a bad example for other exploitative developers. The wording of the email also says to me that Streppel knew what he was asking was wrong, even if there was a clear intention of simply saving the company rather than greed for more profit.

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Banks in the US and UK begin restricting Bitcoin purchases with credit cards https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/banks-in-the-us-and-uk-begin-restricting-bitcoin-purchases-with-credit-cards/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/banks-in-the-us-and-uk-begin-restricting-bitcoin-purchases-with-credit-cards/#comments Mon, 05 Feb 2018 13:48:23 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=363059 We've heard about various governments looking to crack down on cryptocurrency this year and now it looks like banks are joining in. Banks across the US have already begun banning Bitcoin purchases with credit cards and now the same thing is happening here in the UK. This week it was announced that the Lloyds Banking …

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We've heard about various governments looking to crack down on cryptocurrency this year and now it looks like banks are joining in. Banks across the US have already begun banning Bitcoin purchases with credit cards and now the same thing is happening here in the UK.

This week it was announced that the Lloyds Banking Group, which consists of Halifax, Bank of Scotland, MBNA and Lloyds, will no longer accept credit card transactions involving the purchase of cryptocurrencies. This makes Lloyds the first banking chain to block its users from investing in cryptocurrency using credit.

With Bitcoin rising all the way up to $20,000 in value over the course of 2017, there has been a surge of interest in investing. The worry is that people will borrow money from banks to invest and then not be able to pay it back due to the constantly fluctuating values in the cryptocurrency market.

A similar move occured in the US last week, with JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup and the Bank of America all restricting Bitcoin purchases due to the risk involved. This is just the first step though, as politicians are figuring out ways to regulate cryptocurrency going forward. In particular, the UK, EU and South Korea are looking to put new laws in place, targeting cryptocurrency buyers and sellers.

KitGuru Says: Cryptocurrency values have dropped dramatically this year as fears over government regulation/oversight have mounted. Now with banks restricting customers we will likely see another dip in values.

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More than 1 million cheaters were banned in PUBG last month alone https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/more-than-1-million-cheaters-were-banned-in-pubg-last-month-alone/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/more-than-1-million-cheaters-were-banned-in-pubg-last-month-alone/#comments Mon, 05 Feb 2018 11:48:05 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=363044 Two weeks ago, the folks at PUBG Corp announced that they would be taking down 100,000 cheaters in a single ban-wave. This move was applauded by much of the player base, but the final number of in-game bans in January turned out to be much more impressive. According to BattlEye, PUBG's anti-cheat software, over one …

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Two weeks ago, the folks at PUBG Corp announced that they would be taking down 100,000 cheaters in a single ban-wave. This move was applauded by much of the player base, but the final number of in-game bans in January turned out to be much more impressive. According to BattlEye, PUBG's anti-cheat software, over one million accounts were banned over the last month.

Over the last month alone, BattlEye banned over 1,044,000 cheaters in PUBG. While this is good news, the software makers warn that “unfortunately, things continue to escalate”. As PUBG gains in popularity, the number of cheaters has also risen substantially.

The number of bans in January is actually a very sharp rise. At the end of December, BattlEye announced that 1.5 million players had been caught out by the anti-cheat system since PUBG's initial launch earlier in 2017. This has now risen to 1 million bans in a single month, which just goes to show how popular and rife cheating can be in PUBG.

Fortunately, it seems like the anti-cheat system is getting better at detecting cheaters and catching them out. The new replay system will also help, allowing players to watch their game back and see where they were shot from. This makes it much easier to spot and report legitimate cheaters in-game.

KitGuru Says: I've noticed the number of complaints around PUBG cheaters going down on our Facebook page over the last month or so. Do you guys still play PUBG regularly? Is the anti-cheat system doing a good enough job at the moment?

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US politicians are also getting involved in the video game ‘loot box’ debate https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/us-politicians-are-also-getting-involved-in-the-video-game-loot-box-debate/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/us-politicians-are-also-getting-involved-in-the-video-game-loot-box-debate/#comments Wed, 22 Nov 2017 11:10:04 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=355041 It seems that politicians in the US are also getting involved in the video game loot box debate. Earlier today, we learned that the Belgium Gaming Commission do consider loot boxes to be a form of gambling and now, politicians in Hawaii are calling out EA's “predatory practices” with Star Wars Battlefront II. In a …

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It seems that politicians in the US are also getting involved in the video game loot box debate. Earlier today, we learned that the Belgium Gaming Commission do consider loot boxes to be a form of gambling and now, politicians in Hawaii are calling out EA's “predatory practices” with Star Wars Battlefront II.

In a YouTube video, US representative, Chris Lee of Hawaii, posted a video that calls for “future protections” when it comes to “the spread of predatory practices in online gaming”. The video is specifically addressing Star Wars Battlefront II. Lee goes as far as to brand the game as a “Star Wars-themed online casino designed to lure kids into spending money”. You can see the video below:

Chris Lee also happens to be a Reddit user. He posted on the r/gaming subreddit hours ago to add some additional details that weren't covered in the video. For starters, Lee says that he has been involved in discussions with a number of representatives from other states who are also thinking about trying to tackle the loot box issue.

For now though, we have only seen Hawaii step up to the plate. Over the next year, Lee will be looking at legislation which “could prohibit access, or prohibit the sale of these games” to those under the age of 21. They will also be looking at “prohibiting different kinds of mechanisms” in games where loot boxes are present.

KitGuru Says: Legislation like this would affect a lot more than Star Wars Battlefront II. This would have reaching effects for Overwatch, Rocket League, CS:GO, PUBG, essentially any game with a loot box system. Still, these are early days, it will be quite some time before we see change coming into place. There is also the possibility that this legislation won't get enough political support to pass through, so it's not a done deal just yet.

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Bungie responds to reports of unfair Destiny 2 bans, overturns some of them https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/bungie-responds-to-reports-of-unfair-destiny-2-bans-overturns-some-of-them/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/bungie-responds-to-reports-of-unfair-destiny-2-bans-overturns-some-of-them/#comments Thu, 26 Oct 2017 09:00:43 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=351603 Update: Bungie has responded to reports of players being unjustly banned in Destiny 2 on PC. In an updated blog post, the company outlined some of its policies when it comes to security in Destiny 2 and how the banning process works. However, the studio ultimately identified a group of players who were in fact …

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Update: Bungie has responded to reports of players being unjustly banned in Destiny 2 on PC. In an updated blog post, the company outlined some of its policies when it comes to security in Destiny 2 and how the banning process works. However, the studio ultimately identified a group of players who were in fact banned in error.

Over the course of Destiny 2's launch day on PC, around 400 players were banned. Destiny 2 does not have an automatic banning system in place, instead, Bungie manually places bans after an investigation. The studio vows to not issue bans to players trying to use overlays or performance tools, like OBS, GeForce Experience, MSI Afterburner, Discord etc.

At first, Bungie said that it would be overturning just four bans after a manual review. However, later on, the studio updated its post, adding that it has identified a group of players that were banned in error. Apparently these bans were not due to third-party apps, but the studio doesn't offer any alternative reason. We are unsure how many players were unbanned following further investigation.

Original Story: Destiny 2 has finally landed on PC and while the game does run incredibly well on a wide range of hardware, players have faced issues in other areas. Last night, some players found themselves banned from Destiny 2, seemingly unintentionally. At first, it was thought that this could be down to the game detecting third-party apps in the background but according to Bungie, that is not the case.

There are plenty of reports of bans over on the Bungie.net forum. One user on the Destiny subreddit thought that they had sussed it out, claiming that external FPS counters, chat overlays, stream overlays and capture software were causing the bans. However, a Bungie rep replied, stating that while third-party applications aren’t compatible with Destiny 2, the studio isn’t issuing bans to those trying it.

Bungie gave prior warning several months back that it would not allow third-party applications to hook into Destiny 2. That means things like the MSI afterburner overlay, FRAPS, OBS, Discord etc won’t work with Destiny 2 as they would other games. According to Bungie, this is a security precaution to fight off any form of DLL injection. By blocking all code from interacting with the game, Bungie hopes that it will be able to keep the game free of cheaters.

It isn’t clear yet why these bans are taking place but with the number of reports coming in, Bungie will be investigating. Hopefully we can get an update on that front soon.

KitGuru Says: If I had just launched a game for the first time to find myself banned for no reason, I’d be pretty upset too. Hopefully Bungie can rectify this quickly. Have any of you tried Destiny 2 out on PC yet? Have any of you been affected by these random bans? 

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40,000 accounts hit with VAC ban immediately after Steam Summer Sale https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/40000-accounts-hit-with-vac-ban-immediately-after-steam-summer-sale/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/40000-accounts-hit-with-vac-ban-immediately-after-steam-summer-sale/#comments Mon, 10 Jul 2017 14:08:39 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=340277 The Steam Summer sale is usually a good opportunity for cheaters to pick up cheap copies of multiplayer games on alternate accounts. Fortunately, it looks like Valve has managed to keep on top of it this year, with 40,000 VAC bans being handed out on the 6th of July, the day after the sale officially …

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The Steam Summer sale is usually a good opportunity for cheaters to pick up cheap copies of multiplayer games on alternate accounts. Fortunately, it looks like Valve has managed to keep on top of it this year, with 40,000 VAC bans being handed out on the 6th of July, the day after the sale officially ended.

Normally, Valve will hand out somewhere between 3000 and 4000 VAC bans per day but over the last few years the numbers have been increasing following a major sale. As Dot Esports points out, the last huge ban wave took place in October 2016, which saw just over 15,000 accounts banned. Given that the Summer Sale just took place, Valve cracked down again, with 40,411 accounts banned.

In addition to this, a further 4,972 accounts were banned in CS:GO specifically via the Overwatch system, which Valve uses to collect and review reports of hacking. In all, it is reported that around $8000 worth of CS:GO skins were lost during the ban wave.

KitGuru Says: Given the amount of cheaters that do take advantage of games like CS:GO, it is nice to see a chunk of them all removed at once. It does seem that Valve is getting better at monitoring activity specifically around sales dates. 

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Wikipedia bars Daily Mail as citation source https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/jon-martindale/wikipedia-bars-daily-mail-as-citation-source/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/jon-martindale/wikipedia-bars-daily-mail-as-citation-source/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2017 09:42:07 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=321279 After deeming the Daily Mail as “unreliable,” Wikipedia editors have voted to ban the publication as a source for the online encyclopaedia. This isn't something Wikipedia often engages in, and it still cites a number of often considered biased publications, like Fox News and Russia Today. “The Daily Mail’s reputation for poor fact checking, sensationalism …

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After deeming the Daily Mail as “unreliable,” Wikipedia editors have voted to ban the publication as a source for the online encyclopaedia. This isn't something Wikipedia often engages in, and it still cites a number of often considered biased publications, like Fox News and Russia Today.

“The Daily Mail’s reputation for poor fact checking, sensationalism and flat-out fabrication,” was one of the main arguments for the ban (as per the Guardian). Moving forward, editors will be charged with not citing the publication unless in special circumstances and especially when there are more reliable sources available.

This ban does not outright bar linking to the Daily Mail's articles, nor its online web publication, but will discourage it. A filter will be put in place to remind editors who consider linking to the site seek out alternative sources where possible. Pre-existing links to the Daily Mail on the encyclopaedia will also be re-considered as part of this move.

The Mail is known for its sensationalism and salacious content. Source: Today's DailyMail.co.uk

Not all editors agreed to the ban, with some highlighting how Wikipedia is happy to link to other sources which have questionable reliability. However, there was enough of a consensus among English-speaking editors that Wikipedia decided to give the ban the go ahead.

Purportedly the discussion about the reliability of the Daily Mail had been ongoing since 2015, but really kicked into high gear in January this year, following concerns over fake news online.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Considering the Mail's website often seems to simply be full of bikini photos and moral grandstanding, it's perhaps no huge surprise that it not be counted as a source moving forward. How do you guys feel about it though? Has Wikipedia proved its own bias in this instance?

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Blizzard brings banhammer down on 22,000 Overwatch cheaters https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-brings-banhammer-down-on-22000-overwatch-cheaters/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/blizzard-brings-banhammer-down-on-22000-overwatch-cheaters/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2017 22:04:13 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=320758 Blizzard has taken a stern stance against cheaters in Overwatch since the very beginning, a move that has often been praised by the community. There have been several large ban waves in the past but this weeks was one of the biggest, taking down 22,865 cheaters playing on the game's Korean servers. Blizzard announced the …

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Blizzard has taken a stern stance against cheaters in Overwatch since the very beginning, a move that has often been praised by the community. There have been several large ban waves in the past but this weeks was one of the biggest, taking down 22,865 cheaters playing on the game's Korean servers.

Blizzard announced the huge ban wave in a forum post, which says that the developer is “taking all the steps” it can to battle cheating and prepare countermeasures.

However, the issue here runs a bit deeper. A lot of players in Korea get their Overwatch time in at LAN centers, otherwise known as ‘PC Bangs', these are essentially gaming focussed cyber cafes. On top of that, a lot of these places have deals with publishers like Blizzard, allowing them to pay a flat rate and let visitors access games like Overwatch without needing an account with a purchased copy of the game.

Due to this, cheaters in South Korea don't necessarily need to buy the game again, they just have to worry about the hourly fee to use the PC. With that in mind, Blizzard's ban waves in South Korea may only go so far.

KitGuru Says: It is always good to see Blizzard being proactive when it comes to cheaters in its games, especially a competitive shooter like Overwatch. However, the cheating situation is a little more complicated in South Korea due to the popularity of these LAN centers, making it harder to shut cheaters down completely. 

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Valve targets Team Fortress 2 gambling sites in latest crackdown https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/jon-martindale/valve-targets-team-fortress-2-gambling-sites-in-latest-crackdown/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/jon-martindale/valve-targets-team-fortress-2-gambling-sites-in-latest-crackdown/#respond Mon, 30 Jan 2017 09:45:42 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=320076 Valve has announced that it will be cracking down on sites that allow people to gamble with their Team Fortress 2 game skins. It the short term it will be banning accounts associated with the sites, putting users at risk of losing items. In the future though, it may well look to have the sites shut …

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Valve has announced that it will be cracking down on sites that allow people to gamble with their Team Fortress 2 game skins. It the short term it will be banning accounts associated with the sites, putting users at risk of losing items. In the future though, it may well look to have the sites shut down.

One of the biggest gaming scandals of last year was the popularising of Counter Strike: Global Offensive skin gambling sites. Although they had been growing in infamy for a couple of years, they drew mainstream attention in 2016, and drew condemnation for Youtubers promoting the sites to their influential, young audiences – especially in cases where those making the videos owned the sites themselves.

Since then a number of those involved have faced legal action, while Valve has made a point of banning related trading accounts. Now, as those looking to continue making money from game-skin gambling have moved on to other games, like Team Fortress 2, Valve is following right along and continuing to ban related accounts.

“More recently, some gambling web sites started leveraging TF2 items. Today we began the process of blocking TF2 gambling accounts as well. We recommend you don’t trade with these sites,” Valve said in a statement (thanks Kotaku).

It's solid advice. There is nothing official about Steam skin gambling sites, so there is every chance that they could scam users.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru says: Watch yourself out there guys. There are skin gamblers everywhere…

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UK law could soon ban ‘non-conventional porn’ online https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-law-could-soon-ban-non-conventional-porn-online/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-law-could-soon-ban-non-conventional-porn-online/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2016 12:45:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=312953 Do you partake in pornography that is considered “non-conventional?” Who knows right? That's a pretty vague term, but it's the exact wording of the currently under-debate, Digital Economy Bill, which is being pushed through parliament. If enacted, it could force ISPs to put blocks in place for any sites that host porn that is considered …

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Do you partake in pornography that is considered “non-conventional?” Who knows right? That's a pretty vague term, but it's the exact wording of the currently under-debate, Digital Economy Bill, which is being pushed through parliament. If enacted, it could force ISPs to put blocks in place for any sites that host porn that is considered outside of the norm.

The Digital Economy Bill has a lot of people worried. Alongside much more dull legislation like guaranteeing a minimum download rate for British internet users, the bill also seeks to force age verification on websites, purportedly using credit card checks. Although this has the potential to cause all sorts of issues, a recent addition is far worse, as it would see sites hosting “non-conventional” pornography blocked, regardless of age checks of legal status.

As is typical with this sort of sweeping legislation, the wording of the bill is incredibly vague. While it does suggest sites that offer “non-conventional” pornography will be subject to blocks, it doesn't classify what that actually is. Presumably it will include some of the acts made illegal to film in the UK two years ago: female ejaculation, fisting and face-sitting, but beyond that is anyone's guess.

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When the facesitting ban was brought in, many protested against it outside of parliament. Source: The Telegraph

It is likely to have a line, but where it's drawn, nobody knows. The inclusion of fisting would mean the inclusion of the much decried ‘four finger rule' which designates how many digits can be used during insertion pornography.

We also have no idea how the BBFC – the agency tasked with upholding the law – would know what sites are hosting what. It can't go around watching all the porn there is, so presumably would rely on reports from citizens, which are unlikely to be common. Questions also remain about how it would react to large scale sites like Twitter, which has copious amounts of easily accessible porn on it.

Blocking Twitter seems unlikely, but technically it would need to under the law.

Of course as we've seen with blocks of pirate sites, the ones implemented against porn sites are likely to be largely ineffective at preventing access. A VPN or proxy would be enough to circumvent them.

While it may feel like a fruitless enterprise, if you'd like to let your MP know about why you want them to stand against such a bill, you can do so at the WriteToThem site.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's unbelievable that 1: the government would believe blocks would be effective, but 2: that it feels the need to mandate the types of consensual, legal pornography that people have access too. It's arbitrary moral policing at its worst.

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No sex please we’re hackers: Ubisoft to patch out WD2 genitals https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/no-sex-please-were-hackers-ubisoft-to-patch-out-wd2-genitals/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/no-sex-please-were-hackers-ubisoft-to-patch-out-wd2-genitals/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2016 08:49:54 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=311778 While there is plenty of deliberate nudity to be found in Ubisoft's recent watch Dogs 2 release, it turns out fully rendered, realistic female genitals wasn't necessarily part of it. To address the problem of a player being banned because they shared an image of them on Sony's Live from PlayStation service, Ubisoft will now …

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While there is plenty of deliberate nudity to be found in Ubisoft's recent watch Dogs 2 release, it turns out fully rendered, realistic female genitals wasn't necessarily part of it. To address the problem of a player being banned because they shared an image of them on Sony's Live from PlayStation service, Ubisoft will now be giving the lady the action man treatment and removing the texture entirely.

Since Watch Dogs 2 is an 18 and a game advertised to contain nudity and sexual references, it's not much of a surprise for gamers to stumble across topless hippies, or drunks urinating on walls while nudey. The fully realised genitals of a particular prostitute NPC though were more of a surprise, which is why those who discovered her – often after an unfortunate, explosive death – were so keen to share them with the world.

Whether this was a texture that an Ubisoft artist sneaked in, or the French developer/publisher simply wanted to avoid the issue of some of its gamers receiving PlayStation Network bans isn't clear, but moving forward, there will be no fully rendered gentials on that particular model.

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Sony: Nothing to see here. Source: Goron2000

“We’re aware that one of the NPC models in Watch Dogs 2 is rendered in a way that is particularly explicit,” Ubisoft said in a statement to Polygon. “While Watch Dogs 2 is a mature-rated game, we apologise and will update this NPC model to make it more consistent with other NPC models in the game in a patch to be released this week.”

It also said that it was working with Microsoft and Sony to make sure that gamers could share images from its games without fear of being banned. It's not clear how it will be able to do that if Sony takes such a strong stance against nudity on its network, but perhaps some kind of NSFW tagging system could be implemented.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: As much as Sony seems to be reacting more to the publicity of the image, rather than its content, I'm more confused about Ubisoft's response. It's an adult game with adult content, there's no problem with that. This is what makes me wonder if this was a texture that wasn't approved and one of the artists sneaked it in there. 

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Forza Horizon 3 PC players are getting their false bans reversed https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/forza-horizon-3-pc-players-are-getting-their-false-bans-reversed/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/forza-horizon-3-pc-players-are-getting-their-false-bans-reversed/#respond Fri, 21 Oct 2016 16:44:30 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=309447 Forza Horizon 3 has been relatively well received on the PC so far, though it has had a few issues here and there. One particularly concerning problem popped up this week, as a wave of players were permanently banned for cheating. This would normally be great news but it appears that some innocent players were …

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Forza Horizon 3 has been relatively well received on the PC so far, though it has had a few issues here and there. One particularly concerning problem popped up this week, as a wave of players were permanently banned for cheating. This would normally be great news but it appears that some innocent players were caught in the crossfire.

The recent ban wave conducted by Microsoft was intended to target those running the Forza 3 trainer hack, which allows for boosts to in-game currency amongst other cheats. Following the ban wave, posts began popping up on Reddit and it appears some users were banned for having unrelated programs running in the background on PC. One player was attempting to benchmark the UWP app and fix CPU usage using a program called ProcessLasso to maintain a playable frame rate. He was then picked up in the latest ban wave.

Other commenters in the thread claim to have been banned just through regular play. A few players noted that they had sold a pre-order bonus car early on in the game to swiftly gain five million in-game credits. A few other players were grinding a wheel spin move to accumulate some fast in-game cash.

At this point, an employee of Turn 10 studios has been active in the thread, asking those who may have been picked up by the ban wave to message in so the developer can investigate. Some players have since confirmed that their bans have been reversed, so it appears the anti-cheat system may have been a little too aggressive.

In a statement sent to Polygon, a Microsoft representative confirmed the ban wave and called for innocent players to appeal their bans: “We use bans to maintain the integrity of our in-game economy and to preserve gameplay balance for everyone. Players who feel they have been unfairly banned can appeal by sending an e-mail to forzafb@microsoft.com, where we investigate all appeals and either remove or uphold player bans as appropriate.”

KitGuru Says: This wouldn't be the first time bans had been dished out to innocent players by mistake. There are some examples of similar occurrences happening with Arma 2 and GTA Online. Hopefully, anyone affected by this can get their ban reversed swiftly enough. Have many of you guys been playing Forza Horizon 3 recently? Did any of you get picked up by the ban wave by mistake?

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11,000 CS:GO cheaters were banned today https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/11000-csgo-cheaters-were-banned-today/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/11000-csgo-cheaters-were-banned-today/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2016 15:22:26 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=306239 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can quickly become a frustrating game if you encounter cheaters, especially in a competitive match. However, today it looks like someone revved up the Valve Anti-Cheat engine as more than 11,000 players were hit with the ban hammer in one of the largest ban waves of the year. VAC bans are handed …

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Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can quickly become a frustrating game if you encounter cheaters, especially in a competitive match. However, today it looks like someone revved up the Valve Anti-Cheat engine as more than 11,000 players were hit with the ban hammer in one of the largest ban waves of the year.

VAC bans are handed out fairly regularly, though normally in much smaller numbers. A giant spike like this seems to show that the engine has been updated to recognise previously undetected cheats. According to Reddit user TwitchDanmark, who has collected screenshots of statements made by cheat providers, around four big cheat sellers have been affected by the VAC update, reaching over 11,000 players according to the Steam Database.

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We likely won't hear anything from Valve when it comes to this latest ban spike. After all, if they spoke out about how their anti-cheat system works, it would become easier to circumvent. Still though, this should help clean-up the CS:GO community a little bit.

It is also worth noting that due to Valve's new rules surrounding Steam Gifts and trades, it should be harder for cheaters to set up alternate accounts to switch to.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It is always nice to see the VAC system doing its job well. Do any of you guys play CS:GO on a regular basis? Have you had many issues with cheaters?

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Porn sponsors banned again in Esports tournament https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/porn-sponsors-banned-again-in-esports-tournament/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/porn-sponsors-banned-again-in-esports-tournament/#comments Mon, 23 May 2016 07:52:41 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=293526 Despite efforts by some of the more well known tube pornography websites to legitimise themselves as mainstream companies, Esports organisations are doing their best to push back on that narrative. Following a ban of Youporn's pro team from the ESL competition, the same has happened with Capcom's Pro Tour. Although the ESL ban for the porn-site-sponsored Team …

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Despite efforts by some of the more well known tube pornography websites to legitimise themselves as mainstream companies, Esports organisations are doing their best to push back on that narrative. Following a ban of Youporn's pro team from the ESL competition, the same has happened with Capcom's Pro Tour.

Although the ESL ban for the porn-site-sponsored Team YP was specific to that one gaming group, in the case of Capcom's Street Fighter V championship, it's banned any team or player which has garnered sponsorship from any “adult content,” company.

Team YP has tweeted out about its disappointment that its players will be impacted by the decision, making it hard for them to compete in a meaningful fashion. However it did pledge to continue fighting to have its players considered and its brand recognised within Esports proper.

That might be a fight worth having too, as support for the team has been surprisingly strong. Indeed it's drawn so much backing from the Esports community, that Capcom officials have pledged to re-look at the issue, to give it further consideration.

That's not a turnaround, but it's certainly better than Team YP was looking at the start of this weekend just gone.

As much as these Esports organisations might not be fans of porn sponsors though, it isn't the only type of product and/or company that isn't allowed to be a part of the proceedings. Alcohol and tobacco (including e-cigarette) firms are also banned from sponsoring anyone.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do you think there should be certain sponsors that aren't allowed to give teams additional funds in exchange for a logo or endorsement on their uniforms?

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ESL has banned YouPorn’s sponsored eSports team from tournaments https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/esl-has-banned-youporns-sponsored-esports-team-from-tournaments/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/esl-has-banned-youporns-sponsored-esports-team-from-tournaments/#comments Mon, 25 Apr 2016 14:44:44 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=290611 Many of you will remember that last year, the site YouPorn began seeking an eSports team to sponsor and thus, Team YP was born. Unfortunately, not everyone is looking favourably on porn companies getting involved in eSports. More specifically, ESL, one of the biggest eSports tournament organisations around seems to have a problem with it …

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Many of you will remember that last year, the site YouPorn began seeking an eSports team to sponsor and thus, Team YP was born. Unfortunately, not everyone is looking favourably on porn companies getting involved in eSports. More specifically, ESL, one of the biggest eSports tournament organisations around seems to have a problem with it and has banned YouPorn's sponsored team from all future events.

This won't just affect Team YP though, while they are the only porn sponsored team around right now, ESL doesn't want any future porn-sponsored teams at its events either. Team YP has already tweeted out to talk a little bit about this decision: “We are disappointed by ESL's decision to ban our esports team. We will continue to strive towards professionalism and transparency. Thank you everyone for your support. Team YP will overcome these obstacles and usher in an age of equal opportunity in esports for all.”

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So why is the ESL looking to distance itself from porn-sponsored eSports teams? Well it all comes down to legal reasons. According to the ESL, advertising porn isn't legal in the areas its operates in and many of the organisations business partners have strict ‘no drugs, no alcohol, no pornography' rules drafted in to their contracts. In a statement sent to Polygon the ESL said:

“Advertising pornography is not legal in the markets we operate in, and the vast majority of partners we're working with have strict “no drugs, no alcohol, no pornography” rules that we've contractually taken on board. These aren't new rules, but ones that have been in our rulebooks for a long time.”

The ESL has been in talks with its legal team as well as Team YP in order to look at potential alternatives and explain the situation properly. However, for now it looks like eSports teams looking to take on a porn site sponsor won't be able to partake in any ESL tournaments.

KitGuru Says: A lot of companies out there have contracts to prevent them being associated with things like drugs, alcohol and pornography, many of which likely work closely with ESL to put on tournaments. What do you guys think of this? Should a tournament organiser be able to ban teams based on their sponsors? 

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Dark Souls III players are getting banned on PC with no explanation https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/dark-souls-iii-players-are-getting-banned-on-pc-with-no-explanation/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/dark-souls-iii-players-are-getting-banned-on-pc-with-no-explanation/#comments Thu, 21 Apr 2016 16:59:08 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=290220 It seems that there might be some issues with From Software's anti-cheat system for Dark Souls III on the PC at the moment as according to numerous reports across the web, perfectly legitimate players are finding themselves banned. This is something that has happened before with a Souls game and a fix is already being …

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It seems that there might be some issues with From Software's anti-cheat system for Dark Souls III on the PC at the moment as according to numerous reports across the web, perfectly legitimate players are finding themselves banned. This is something that has happened before with a Souls game and a fix is already being looked at.

The big fear amongst some players is that they've been permanently soft banned without reason. This would mean that they can still go online but only interact with other players who have been soft banned, some of which could be actual cheaters in the game.

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As Kotaku points out, there are some big posts about this over on Reddit and the Steam forums.  Over on the Reddit side, user Meowtock seems to have picked up on the fact that quite a few of the legitimate players getting banned found themselves in that position after suffering either a crash (which could corrupt save data and trigger the anti-cheat) or a disconnection from the server.

The Dark Souls community manager has tweeted out about this issue already, so From Software does know about the issue and hopefully some more information will be shared soon. It could be a while though, after all, we are also still awaiting an update on Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition on PC, which has mysteriously been offline for the last couple of weeks. 

KitGuru Says: It seems that From Software needs to give its anti-cheat engine a bit of work, after all, it's not really fair to ban legitimate players or lump them in with potentially real cheaters in PvP. Are any of you currently playing Dark Souls III? Have you faced any problems? 

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Amazon is now cracking down on dodgy USB Type-C cables https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/amazon-is-now-cracking-down-on-dodgy-usb-type-c-cables/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/amazon-is-now-cracking-down-on-dodgy-usb-type-c-cables/#comments Wed, 30 Mar 2016 18:04:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=288369 Throughout 2015 and going on into this year, a Google engineer set out on a mission to save us all from dodgy, non-compliant USB Type-C cables that were being sold on Amazon. He tested so many poor cables that didn't meet the proper Type-C specifications that eventually, he ended up with one that broke his …

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Throughout 2015 and going on into this year, a Google engineer set out on a mission to save us all from dodgy, non-compliant USB Type-C cables that were being sold on Amazon. He tested so many poor cables that didn't meet the proper Type-C specifications that eventually, he ended up with one that broke his laptop entirely. Clearly this is an issue and now, Amazon is cracking down on it.

A cheap USB Type-C cable that does not comply with the standard specification can fry a smartphone or even a laptop so now, Amazon is prohibiting these from sale entirely.

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In an update to its policy, Amazon wrote that it will not permit the sale of “any USB-C (or USB Type-C) cable or adapter product that is not compliant with standard specifications”.

The big issue with these Type-C cables is that they often feature one USB Type-A side and if this is not built to handle the three amps that Type-C can deliver, then it spells bad news and causes power problems. Hopefully poor quality cables will now be less of an issue on Amazon going forward.

KitGuru Says: Considering just how many companies weren't complying with proper USB Type-C specifications, this is a good move from Amazon and could save a lot of people from accidentally damaging their electronics. 

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