EA · EA Privacy and Cookie Policy

Machine Fingerprint and Anti-Cheat Surveillance

High severity
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What it is

EA can collect a unique digital fingerprint of your computer hardware components and monitor your device state to detect cheating or fraud, even beyond what standard cookie tracking does.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

EA collects a hardware-level fingerprint of your device components that uniquely identifies your machine and cannot be cleared like cookies, with no opt-out offered for this specific data collection practice.

Cross-platform context

See how other platforms handle Machine Fingerprint and Anti-Cheat Surveillance and similar clauses.

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Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

Device fingerprinting is one of the most persistent and difficult-to-avoid forms of tracking — it can identify you even if you clear cookies or use a VPN, and there is no opt-out mechanism described for this data collection.

View original clause language
When you use our Services, we or third parties may use cookies and similar technologies, collect data about or from your machine or device, which may include a machine "fingerprint" or "hash" of your machine components, and gather other evidence about your gameplay, machine state, or participation in our Services for fraud prevention, security, cheat detection, and authentication purposes. We may also monitor publicly-available information, third-party sites, and/or use anti-cheat technology within our Services, including automated anti-fraud and abuse algorithms.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision implicates GDPR Art. 6(1)(f) (legitimate interests) and Art. 5(1)(c) (data minimization) for EEA/UK users; CCPA/CPRA §1798.140 definition of 'sensitive personal information' may apply depending on whether hardware identifiers are classified as unique identifiers; ePrivacy Directive Art. 5(3) for device-level data storage without clear consent in EU jurisdictions; and FTC Act Section 5 if fingerprinting is used in a manner not adequately disclosed. The FTC and EU/EEA DPAs hold enforcement authority.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has jurisdiction over EA Inc. US's data practices under FTC Act Section 5, including device fingerprinting disclosures and cross-device tracking practices.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
EA Privacy and Cookie Policy
Entity
EA
Document last updated
April 29, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 20, 2026
Last verified
April 28, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-003679
Document ID
CA-D-00306
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
6ef6b6ee185c651b01773460745644b56ff636b96bffeda4b0f814ee02ec3cac
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: EA | Document: EA Privacy and Cookie Policy | Record: CA-P-003679
Captured: 2026-03-20 04:18:30 UTC | SHA-256: 6ef6b6ee185c651b…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/ea/ea-privacy-and-cookie-policy/machine-fingerprint-and-anti-cheat-surveillance/
Accessed: May 2, 2026
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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