Valve Spies on You: Steam’s Native Game Recording Tool is a Sneak Attack on Your Privacy
Steam just dropped a game recording feature that allows you to capture and share your gaming clips, but is it really about recording your gameplay or monitoring your every move? The feature is now in beta on Steam Deck, and we have to wonder: what’s really going on behind the scenes?
You’ll be able to record your gameplay in two ways: continuous recording with background capture or manual recording with a hotkey, but what about the fine print? According to Valve, the Steam Timeline will be tracking your every move, allowing developers to mark notable moments for you. Already, Valve has partnered with Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 to implement this feature, making us wonder what kind of surveillance is at play here.
But don’t worry, the feature won’t record your desktop… yet. And you can pick which audio channels are included in the recording. Because what’s a gaming clip without the soundtrack of your gaming session? But really, what’s to stop Valve from changing the rules on you and monitoring your entire digital life?
Valve promises that the tool will have minimal impact on your computer’s performance, citing the use of NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards. But what about those who don’t have these cards? The system will be forced to use the CPU, causing a noticeable performance hit. Sounds like a sweet deal for the graphics card companies and a not-so-sweet deal for the rest of us.
And it gets even better. Valve hints at more features in the works, like individualized game settings. What could go wrong? Maybe they’ll just tune in to your every move, wait for you to get tired and surrender, and then swoop in with a customized gaming experience that knows your every move. It’s a wonder they don’t just install webcams and microphones while they’re at it.
So, are you excited about this new feature or are you terrified of what it might mean for your digital privacy?
