and how is steam any different? Although admittedly EA have changed theirs recently as the previous one was unacceptable.
as far as I can see their EULA also has provisions that they can monitor hardware and software usage within your system.
STEAM:
"Steam conducts a monthly survey to collect data about what kinds of computer hardware and software our customers are using. Participation in the survey is optional, and anonymous. The information gathered is incredibly helpful to us as we make decisions about what kinds of technology investments to make and products to offer."
"User Generated Information" means any information made available to other users through your use of multi-user features of Steam or to Valve through your use of the Software. User Generated Information may include, but is not limited to, chat, forum posts, screen names, game selections, player performances, usage data, suggestions about Valve products or services, and error notifications. Subject to the Valve privacy policy referenced in Section 1 above, as applicable, you expressly grant Valve the complete and irrevocable right to use, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, distribute, transmit, broadcast, and otherwise communicate, and publicly display and perform the User Generated Information and derivative works thereof in any form, anywhere, with or without attribution to you, and without any notice or compensation to you of any kind.
ORIGIN:
"You agree that EA may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer (including the Internet Protocol Address), operating system, Application usage (including but not limited to successful installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online services. EA may also use this information combined with personal information for marketing purposes and to improve our products and services. We may also share that data with our third party service providers in a form that does not personally identify you. IF YOU DO NOT WANT EA TO COLLECT, USE, STORE, TRANSMIT OR DISPLAY THE DATA DESCRIBED IN THIS SECTION, PLEASE DO NOT INSTALL OR USE THE APPLICATION. This and all other data provided to EA and/or collected by EA in connection with your installation and use of this Application is collected, used, stored and transmitted in accordance with EA’s Privacy Policy located at
www.ea.com. To the extent that anything in this section conflicts with the terms of EA’s Privacy Policy, the terms of the Privacy Policy shall control."
also:
"Spiegel Online is reporting that EA's Origin service, a digital storefront and DRM platform that's required to run popular titles like Battlefield 3 and FIFA 12, is facing staunch opposition from privacy advocates in Germany, who claim that the service's end-user license agreement is in violation of German law.
The EULA in question includes provisions that allow EA to automatically check licensing rights without notifiying users, gather information about the hardware and software its customers are running, and even share this data with its partners.
In response to consumer outrage in the US, the company updated the agreement last month to remove language explicitly allowing collected data to be used for marketing purposes, though many of the more contentious aspects, including the ability to monitor software unaffiliated with EA's products, remained intact. That very long leash has led some to peg the service as glorified spyware.
The strict terms also might put EA in violation of German law, which includes a provision that states no contract shall override the laws of the state in which a customer resides. If the data the company is collecting conflicts with federal privacy laws, the EULA would be rendered null and void until it had been revised to meet the proper legal standards.
While EA has refused to comment publicly on the matter, they might not have a choice for much longer. The State Commissioner for Data Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia has reportedly taken an interest in the case, as EA Germany's Cologne heaquartes are located within his jurisdiction. The Comissioner is expected to conduct a full inquiry on the matter, beginning with a subpoena for the information being collected about consumers, the purpose it serves, and who it is being distributed to. If EA's answers aren't satisfactory, they may be forced to change their practices, update the EULA, or potentially even face legal action from the state."