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NetEase Responds to Once Human Privacy Concerns and Launcher Confusion

NetEase’s July 10, 2024 response addressed Once Human privacy concerns and launcher confusion. Here is what it said—and what the policy and Valve guidance do not establish.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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On July 10, 2024, the Once Human Team addressed concerns about the game’s privacy policy and confusion over its launcher. It said Steam and Epic players do not need the NetEase Launcher, while players downloading from Once Human’s official website do. The team also described how it says it handles personal data—but those statements are company assurances, not independent verification of its practices.

What did NetEase say about the privacy concerns?

In its July 10, 2024 announcement, the Once Human Team said it would use personal data when it had a legitimate legal basis, such as providing requested services or acting with consent. It cited data minimization, purpose limitation, and transparency as guiding principles. These are NetEase’s stated commitments; the announcement does not independently demonstrate how the company handles data in practice.

The same announcement addressed confusion about the NetEase Launcher. Players downloading Once Human from the official website need the launcher, but players using Steam or Epic do not. As the team put it: “Players who play the game from Steam or Epic will NOT need to download or use the launcher.” The announcement also provided an email contact for game-related or privacy-policy concerns.

Does Once Human require government ID?

The game’s launch FAQ, published July 10, 2024, said government-issued identification may be requested in specific circumstances—for example, where local law requires it for a promotion or for age or parental verification. The FAQ said ID information would be deleted after the relevant purpose was fulfilled. It did not describe ID as a routine requirement for every player.

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The FAQ said players could manage personal information through in-game support or the privacy email listed there. It also said the privacy policy had been revised and that NetEase planned to improve its clarity.

What personal information does Once Human’s policy describe?

The privacy policy and user agreement hosted on Steam describe several categories of information that may be involved. The wording is conditional: what applies depends on the service, features used, and a player’s interactions. The listed categories should not be read as a checklist collected from every player.

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  • Account and profile details a user supplies.
  • Information from connected social accounts, where those accounts are used.
  • Device and network information, including IP address and device attributes.
  • Gameplay and interaction records, including communications such as chat logs.
  • Purchase, location, and support information.

NetEase’s general privacy FAQ, dated October 31, 2024, says the policy applies to NetEase services that specifically link to it. It explains that details collected can vary by service, user interaction, and regional legal requirements, and that information may also come from third parties—for example, through platform login or payment processing. Because this FAQ covers NetEase services broadly, it is not an inventory of data collected from every Once Human player.

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Where may information be processed, and what rights does the policy describe?

The Steam-hosted policy says information may be processed on cloud servers and transferred to countries outside the user’s location, with steps intended to meet applicable legal requirements. It describes retaining information for the period a user uses the service, subject to exceptions and applicable law.

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The policy’s listed rights—including access, portability, correction, erasure, restriction, and objection—are expressly framed for users in the European Economic Area (EEA). Readers elsewhere should consult the policy terms applicable to their location rather than assume those same provisions apply in the same way.

Was Once Human review-bombed, and did Steam change its score?

Valve’s Steamworks User Reviews guidance defines a review bomb as a large volume of players using reviews to express dissatisfaction, lower a game’s score, and prompt a response. Valve also recognizes that reviews can address business practices and community experience, so privacy concerns can be relevant feedback even when they are not about gameplay.

Valve says it can assess unusual review volume and sentiment after a developer contacts support, and that it may exclude off-topic review-bomb periods from the overall score. That general process does not establish that Valve classified a particular Once Human review period as a review bomb or changed the game’s score for that reason. The cited materials also do not establish current Once Human review counts or sentiment, so no present-day trend or figure can be concluded from them.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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