How would EA go about banning and detecting your account for mods in Sims 4 anyway?

[TentacleBandit]

I just came across a youtube video discussing a tweet where Sims team addressed a mod that is highly offensive and I have no desire to discuss (so pls don't) but rather I want to discuss EA's response, specifically the last part:

 

EA/The Sims tweeted "These types of mods have deeply disturbing content, are not authorized by EA, and their use violates our User Agreement. If we detect players using this kind of mod content, they will no longer be able to play the game and will face permanent EA account bans."

 

So basically almost all adult mods actually break their user agreement (really) and anybody making mods to sell or support on Patreon is breaking their user agreement (they state you cannont make money selling content created from Sims 4 unless it becomes free after stated period of 2-4 weeks).

 

What I'm not clear on is if Origin/sims 4 program is even scanning your mods, let alone correctly identify bannable mods especially if  they are merged together, let alone report back to identifying your account without anticheat type software running independently (like all other games that actually due scan for bannable mods or cheats.)  Not to think of all the possible false red flags.

 

Plus how would it even know to correctly identify "bannable mods"?  All you have to do rename them in your mod directory unless the game does a deep scan of EACH individual file effecting load times or scan as you play (effecting fps).  Can you imagine having 10k mods and CC installed, the game scanning each one of those?  The performance hit would be real so I just don't think its happening on anything but a superficial level (if that).

 

The only thing I can currently think of is if you have "usage sharing" enabled in the Sims 4 options?  I guess?  But does that collect mod information?  Usage sharing is not suppose to identify you due to privacy laws too (when its collected per stated in the agreement when you check it) so legally they couldn't ban your account because it would be in conflict by identifying you as an individual contrary to its own privacy policy.

 

Personally im not concerned, I have no interest in the mod referred by the tweet, but it made me wonder a "what if" scenario where Basemental drugs was deemed bannable by promoting drug culture by EA next month because somebody on instagram blamed it because their little sister played with it and thought drugs were cool and od'.  The press got hold of it and it gets tied into the whole war on drugs narrative.   The the family goes on to blame EA, who than says we will ban users from using this mod and any other mods they find offensive.  I know its sounds like a stretch but corporate companies DO these kind of things if it prevents lawsuits and protects the bottom line.  

 

So yes there is room for mod policing, but I feel is not something Maxis would do without it heavily effecting end users experience or installing anticheat type software but thats like killing a fly with a nuke in a single player experience no less.  Plus the people who are going to break the rules or use bannable mods will just pirate them game anyway as they probably already are.

 

But as for now I just don't see how the game is reporting back to EA what mods your using.  Besides has anybody ever BEEN banned for using mods with the Sims games ever?  I've never heard of this!

 

Thoughts?  Am I missing something?

 

 

[Crashdown117]

Has to be done via shared user data in the game or Origin, if it's done in an automated fashion - and it has to be automated, since you can't manually screen the entire community.

Alternatively, they could add some search function to the game code that detects offensive mods "in action" and either just disables them or reports them, but for that, they would need to know those mods pretty well.

 

In any case, mods like WW and BMD have been around for quite a while and TS4 is by far not the first game of its kind to receive some adult mods. What EA/The Sims Team reacted to, was one huge step beyond that, deep into the territory of what's banned here and on a lot of modding sites for all the right reasons IMO. I think, the focus of their statement is on the "disturbing content" part, while the User Agreement is simply their weapon of choice to act against that kind of stuff.

For the more "harmless" things that we do around here, the policy will probably be "keep it to yourself", because they already have their PR success now and it would cost way to much money to track down each and every "unicorn power mod". Users that actively promote drug abuse, prostitution and the likes might still get banned, but there will likely be no "mod purge" - mods and CC are part of the game's appeal, after all.

Then again, if one company in the world could be stupid enough to ban all adult-themed mods in general and despite the fact, that they would piss off a huge number of players by doing so, it's EA.

[Ernest Lemmingway]

This again? KiwiFarms got folks to report on this weeks ago and nothing has happened. Even the EA tweet was all about mollification and had no plan of action behind it. It's logistically impossible for EA to scan each and every user. Even automated scanning is sketchy AF because it's in a legal gray area in several countries and is outright illegal in the EU thanks to their privacy laws. As long as folks keep it to themselves, as @Crashdown117 said, they very likely couldn't care less. In fact, I dare say they quietly support it because it means more people will buy the game and the dozens of "expansions" for it. Money talks, shit walks.

[bucpar]

The only ban I've ever heard of was for a user who uploaded 18+ material to the Gallery.

[TentacleBandit]

13 minutes ago, Ernest Lemmingway said:

This again? KiwiFarms got folks to report on this weeks ago and nothing has happened.

 

Sorry I was unaware of this, I tried searching on this topic on LL and didn't see anything as it sounded pretty crazy and would effect a lot mods on this site if it was ever enforced via their user agreement.  I do agree that it seems like a stretch to actually do (search each individual mod) but part of the reason I ask is sometimes there is tech im unaware of and with advances in AI coding algorithms everyday, you never know/something I haven't heard of is in play.

 

I suspect thinking on this and doing a bit of more digging (just now) this tweet was probably just to make it look like they care and quell the fires of the twitter mobs without them basically adding new software to the game that would def. effect load times and fps, plus just annoy a lot of people who are the majorty for a very small audience who uses that mod and would just use hacks to bypass said software anyway.  Unless they began to really "attack" the overall "adult" mod community for anything that breaks their UA but I cant ever imagine that happening. 

 

Don't get me wrong I understand the context in this case of this specific tweet, but it just raised a bigger question in my head which made me curious and after some googling i couldnt find an answer so i posted my question here and was curious too if anybody has ever been ban for any sim mod by EA.

[Ernest Lemmingway]

On 4/22/2021 at 12:04 PM, TentacleBandit said:

Don't get me wrong I understand the context in this case of this specific tweet, but it just raised a bigger question in my head which made me curious and after some googling i couldnt find an answer so i posted my question here and was curious too if anybody has ever been ban for any sim mod by EA.

I doubt any company, much less one as greedy as EA, would do anything that could undermine their potential profits. If some slacktivists on antisocial media get butthurt about it, EA or any company can just virtue signal right back and the former will truly believe something was done. That's the thing about slacktivists: they don't understand the difference between saying and doing.

[Guest]

Thats the problem with all these online games.

I think if you switch it to offline that should solve the problem. At least you can switch it offline.

 

I would assume all sexual content is not allowed as it is family friendly game. But i haven't read the license. Does anyone anyway?

[Oops19]

1 hour ago, wutpickel said:

Does anyone anyway?

Yes of course.

 

Technically EA may simply scan your mods folder during startup and skip some mods (*.ts4script if the extracted package folder starts with 'ATF' or something like this). It may also use checksums to detect old mods.

Unless you blocked internet access for TS4 it can report to EA. For big-data and to understand what players need in future it would be a good idea if they collected this data and all CC, wouldn't it?

Each Python mod may do the same and just because you didn't here of one so far does not mean that you don't use one already by accident.

 

I blocked TS4 in my firewall and I removed hopefully all mods with eval(), exec(), outgoinig web requests or other unsafe Python functions from my Mods folder.

I don't get any special offers within TS4, no polls and have no gallery access, etc.

[Oops19]

On 4/22/2021 at 7:54 PM, Ernest Lemmingway said:

is outright illegal in the EU thanks to their privacy laws.

I don't think so. Offer users one DLC for "free" and they will agree to share everything with EA.

In the name of God or to maintain stability of the game it should be essential for EA to know who's using what. They may finally suggest friends with similar mods nearby. Luckily introducing such a feature later is not very popular.

[jyotai]

23 hours ago, Ernest Lemmingway said:

I doubt any company, much less one as greedy as EA, would do anything that could undermine their potential profits.

 

That is exactly WHY they are putting in policies against pedophiles and bestiality.

 

And why mods like AEP patched out the ability to work with a teen or younger sim.

 

 

[Ernest Lemmingway]

On 4/23/2021 at 11:34 PM, Oops19 said:

I don't think so. Offer users one DLC for "free" and they will agree to share everything with EA.

In the name of God or to maintain stability of the game it should be essential for EA to know who's using what. They may finally suggest friends with similar mods nearby. Luckily introducing such a feature later is not very popular.

 

Yeah. The one flaw in everything is human nature.

 

22 hours ago, jyotai said:

And why mods like AEP patched out the ability to work with a teen or younger sim.

 

If I tried to count the number of times people have figured out how to get around measures like that, I'd still be counting after I was dead and buried. I'm not going to pretend to stand on some moral high ground because I never cared when it comes to purely fictional people. It's only when real people are involved--*cough* Cuties *cough*--that I'm willing to fight back however I can. Even if it means simply never again giving even a penny to the company/individuals involved. That's all most of us can do. Especially when the most heinous forms of this sort of thing are being perpetuated by the very people who claim to stand against it.

[Qalefir]

I don't think anything will ever change for The Sims 4 modding. The game is so old right now, and it keep a lot of people in the game. So more money for them)

However, I wouldn't be surprised if they are thinking about the modding system for a possible future Sims 5. With a validation system for example (or maybe make an online game like the rumor said 2 years ago)

[TentacleBandit]

On 4/24/2021 at 2:10 PM, jyotai said:

And why mods like AEP patched out the ability to work with a teen or younger sim.

 

 

 

I didn't know this (I don't use the mod) but I find it kinda funny that they patched out teens considering teens look exactly like adult sims, so how would you even tell the difference? lol

[jyotai]

8 hours ago, Ernest Lemmingway said:

If I tried to count the number of times people have figured out how to get around measures like that,

 

Its less a question of whether or not a person can figure out how to do something and more of who is there helping them do it, and thus potentially able to get included or not in any legal or banning issue.

 

Think of it like a sign in a busy lobby that's around a pool of water and says "caution, slippery floor". That sign actually isn't there to protect you - it's to protect the people who own that lobby when your fool butt runs through that pool.

 

When a mod pulls support for some given action, all they are doing is stepping out of the line of fire so that firing squad hits the person behind them instead...

 

No one's gonna be able to stop some fool from using the game for bestiality or pedo stuff. But they can get out of the way so the law has an easier time knowing who to go after.

[Crashdown117]

6 hours ago, jyotai said:

When a mod pulls support for some given action, all they are doing is stepping out of the line of fire so that firing squad hits the person behind them instead...

And that firing squad doesn't have to be EA, as platforms like Patreon also forbid certain content. Think of WW, where the public version allows teen-adult and incest sex, while the Patreon version doesn't have those features anymore (well, they are disabled and can be "unlocked", but still).

However, the main reason for this (or one of the main reasons, at least) is always that the company in question doesn't want to look bad - although downright illegal things like pedo stuff actually force them to act, regardless of their priorities. It's all about mitigating risks and limiting potential damage, just like the "slippery floor" sign.

Staying away from some of the gray areas and stuff that might be considered offensive, is just the "safe" way of creating and using mods, because that firing squad might still mistake you for a target, if you are too similar to an actual bad guy.

[gramwgry666]

So, did EA ban anyone for this? I tried to find any info but after their tweet from February nothing new, just EA declarations.

[FauxFurry]

15 hours ago, gramwgry666 said:

So, did EA ban anyone for this? I tried to find any info but after their tweet from February nothing new, just EA declarations.

The outrage mob already moved on to several new targets by now so there was no need to actually implement any new policies or software for detection of whatever people are pretending to be upset about in video games one day before moving on to defend something far worse in real life. I wouldn't be too shocked if some of the 'offenders' still have characters in the gallery unaltered. 

[FauxFurry]

I checked the gallery and it may be that the correct answer is "They Do Not". 

 

They would probably have to download then disassemble the mods to know exactly what to look for and that is too much of a hassle for something which can probably blow up in their faces later if found on their hard drives once any moral panic dies down.

 

Any pregnant child sims could have been made so with Life Manager mods or creative use of glitches and console commands so they can not hand out instant bans for those alone while any Herbert the Pervert type characters in the gallery are purely there for a laugh so they are not actionable offenses, either. 

 

[Z0mBieP00Nani]

Yo Ho, Yo Ho.. and really bad eggs...

 

I don't really care what their reasons are they're wrong, and to explain why they are wrong I will simply quote C.S. Lewis: “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”

 

 

Edited July 7, 2021 by Z0mBieP00Nani

[mynewusername]

they say they do it if they detect, they not say that they can actually detect

 

probably only way to detect is if you post stupid shit on forum

 

otherwise make interesting privacy law violation

[Michele Magus]

Upload noothing containing such custom content to the EA Sims 4 Gallery. This is whre they coul logically and legally detect such.

Edited July 7, 2021 by Michele Magus

[Khaine2000DK]

Think it was more likely meant in relation to the more extreme and what be considered illegal stuff, were it not animated or cartoonish. Since the Guru's know very well about the existence of wickedwhims and said nothing about shutting it down at any time.

 

That said you're of course not allowed to upload anything from adult mods onto gallery while, but that naturally goes without saying I would think. Don't think they have any actual detection system running. Think by detect I think it's meant users or websites sponsoring that stuff where they can track down it's users somehow.

 

Edited July 7, 2021 by Khaine2000DK

[FauxFurry]

13 hours ago, mynewusername said:

they say they do it if they detect, they not say that they can actually detect

 

probably only way to detect is if you post stupid shit on forum

 

otherwise make interesting privacy law violation

One has to love that ever-so-careful corporate speak that neither lies nor tells the whole truth if it tells anything at all. 

[Gambit]

Technicaly wise, it's easy for them to have the list of mods you're using and send this list on one of their server where they can use some keywork matching detection system for well know stuff. Legaly wise, it's a little gray area (privacy vs product usage audit). It depends on where you live.

 

They are urged to do nothing, because mod community help them to sale their product (even the nsfw mods) but they urged too to show that they are in control to keep their game safe family wise.

 

Some users were (maybe) banned only because they were stupid enough to share adult stuff on public area. Darwin selection, imo.

 

[travxs]

The modding community is a factor that keeps this game alive, however, as everything, the original creators (EA) is in control of everything and have the power to choose when enough its ENOUGH.

 

I have been banned for sharing sims/households/lots in the gallery that might include some CC.