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In early 2025, a Final Fantasy XIV mod ignited concerns about player stalking due to reports of its ability to harvest sensitive player data. This included character details, retainer information, linked alternate characters, and more.
The mod, "Playerscope," tracked nearby players, transmitting their data to a central database controlled by the mod's creator. This exposed information typically inaccessible through in-game tools, including "Content ID" and "Account ID," enabling cross-character tracking. This exploited the Content ID system introduced in the Dawntrail expansion, designed for player blacklisting.
Opting out required joining the Playerscope Discord and explicitly disabling data collection. Essentially, any player outside this Discord server was potentially having their data scraped, posing a significant privacy risk. Community backlash was swift and intense, with many accusing the mod of facilitating stalking.
Following its discovery on GitHub, Playerscope gained rapid popularity, leading to its removal due to Terms of Service violations. While attempts to find it on alternative platforms like Gittea and Gitflic failed, its continued existence within private communities remains a possibility.
Yoshida's statement emphasized the prohibition of third-party tools under the Final Fantasy XIV User Agreement and the potential threat to player safety. He urged players to avoid using or distributing such tools.
While tools like Advanced Combat Tracker are commonly used by the raiding community (often in conjunction with sites like FFlogs), Yoshida's legal threat represents a significant escalation.
Community Reaction
The community's response to Yoshida's statement was largely critical. Many questioned the lack of proactive measures to prevent data exposure on the client-side, suggesting that addressing the root cause of the problem would be a more effective solution than solely pursuing legal action. The Playerscope author has yet to comment publicly.
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