SEN: TOS and Privacy Policy

[jing90]

With recent news regarding the re-branding/renaming of the PlayStation Network (PSN) to Sony Network Entertainment International news comes regarding new terms of service and other binding policy agreements. Below are some extracts from said terms of service some of which include master accounts and subsequent subaccounts that include provisions for minors, the class action waiver, unauthorized hardware not sold by Sony, unauthorized account usage and hacking to name a few.

A few extracts that one should note:

New terms that explain the location-based services offered through the PlayStation Vita system. For parents of minor, subaccount holders your reacceptance of the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy affirms your consent to your subaccount holder’s user of these services on the PlayStation Vita system.
ACCEPTED ONLY BY AN ADULT OF LEGAL AGE
ARBITRATION AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER
you will not use any unauthorized hardware, including peripherals not sold or licensed by a Sony company
there may be charges associated with certain online content or services available through Sony Online SEN First Party Services.
SNEI has no liability for any unauthorized usage of any account.
refrain from abusive or deceptive conduct, cheating [+1], hacking, or other misuse of Sony OnlineSEN First Party Services.
You may not use, make, or distribute unauthorized software or hardware,
You may not attempt to hack or reverse engineer any code or equipment in connection with Sony Online SEN First Party Services.
If you do not consent to allow us to share your personal information with third parties for the purpose of providing you with access to Sony Online SEN First Party Services content, you will not be able to participate in any Sony Online SEN First Party Services.
SNEI has no obligation to reverse or refund unauthorized charges made on your credit or debit card.
Subscriptions renew automatically unless you cancel the subscription. The cost of each subscription will automatically be deducted from your wallet at the beginning of each subscription term without further notice to you.
your wallet will automatically be charged the cost of the subscription at the beginning of each subscription term without further notice to you.

Source

 

[Ace]

inb4 flamewar, sounds like standard procedures for a TOS and Privacy Policy, nothing new here.

 

[Foxi4]

Y-yeah, PSN was not re-branded or renamed, it just became a part of a larger network.

Lots of this stuff sounds like made-up stories, it's not really "legal" language.

 

[titen96]

What "personal information" are they going to share with 3rd parties?

 

[xist]

It's basically identical to the current PSN TOS. There's minor changes but nothing of any note...if you already agreed to a PSN account you're not giving away anything more...

These are some of the additions and changes we have to these agreements:

New terms for parents of minor, subaccount holders regarding the limitations of chat parental controls. Your reacceptance of the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy affirms your consent to the sharing of your child’s data that may occur if your child utilizes certain communication functionalities on PlayStation devices such as PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita systems.

New terms that explain the location-based services offered through the PlayStation Vita system. For parents of minor, subaccount holders your reacceptance of the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy affirms your consent to your subaccount holder’s user of these services on the PlayStation Vita system.
A description of our “What’s New” section, which provides topical information about our services and advertisements.
Information about pre-ordering content.

The name of your “PlayStation Network account” is changing to a “Sony Entertainment Network account.”

 

[Hop2089]

The only bad thing is the refunding of unauthorized charges on a credit card. Protip: Never use a credit card, use PSN cards.

 

[purplesludge]

If you do not consent to allow us to share your personal information with third parties for the purpose of providing you with access to Sony Online SEN First Party Services content, you will not be able to participate in any Sony Online SEN First Party Services.
SNEI has no obligation to reverse or refund unauthorized charges made on your credit or debit card.

So they will keep your money and will sell your info?

 

[Ace]

If you do not consent to allow us to share your personal information with third parties for the purpose of providing you with access to Sony Online SEN First Party Services content, you will not be able to participate in any Sony Online SEN First Party Services.
SNEI has no obligation to reverse or refund unauthorized charges made on your credit or debit card.

So they will keep your money and will sell your info?

Sounds no different from any other TOS I've ever signed.

 

[purplesludge]

If you do not consent to allow us to share your personal information with third parties for the purpose of providing you with access to Sony Online SEN First Party Services content, you will not be able to participate in any Sony Online SEN First Party Services.
SNEI has no obligation to reverse or refund unauthorized charges made on your credit or debit card.

So they will keep your money and will sell your info?

Sounds no different from any other TOS I've ever signed.

I thought most places refunded unauthorized charges

 

[Ace]

If you do not consent to allow us to share your personal information with third parties for the purpose of providing you with access to Sony Online SEN First Party Services content, you will not be able to participate in any Sony Online SEN First Party Services.
SNEI has no obligation to reverse or refund unauthorized charges made on your credit or debit card.

So they will keep your money and will sell your info?

Sounds no different from any other TOS I've ever signed.

I thought most places refunded unauthorized charges

You don't read enough TOS's

 

[Valwin]

seem like a normal TOS

 

[lostdwarf]

some TOS translated.

"you will not use any unauthorized hardware, including peripherals not sold or licensed by a Sony company"
=
Why not? Peripherals do not alter the console, mainly just the controller.
So using guitar hero breaks your TOS agreement?



"SNEI has no liability for any unauthorized usage of any account"
=
If sony get hacked it is not sony's fault anymore..



"If you do not consent to allow us to share your personal information with third parties for the purpose of providing you with access to Sony Online SEN First Party Services content, you will not be able to participate in any Sony Online SEN First Party Services"
=
If you don't consent, you have just wasted a lot of money.



"SNEI has no obligation to reverse or refund unauthorized charges made on your credit or debit card"
=
If sony accidently take your money they don't have to give it back...



"Subscriptions renew automatically unless you cancel the subscription. The cost of each subscription will automatically be deducted from your wallet at the beginning of each subscription term without further notice to you"
and
"your wallet will automatically be charged the cost of the subscription at the beginning of each subscription term without further notice to you"
=
If you subscribe, we know you are likely to forget to unsubscribe..

 

[prowler]

Why not? Peripherals do not alter the console, mainly just the controller.
So using guitar hero breaks your TOS agreement?

Guitar Hero is authorized. They HAVE to say that, if the console broke because of some unauthorized equipment, Sony (or any company for that matter) doesn't have to do a damn thing.

If you subscribe, we know you are likely to forget to unsubscribe..

Yes and? I don't know what you're getting at. You're subscribing for something, of course it means it's going to charge you monthly/annually for it.
Let's not mention Microsoft, last time I checked (when I had a 360) there was NO way to turn off auto-renew and no way of cancelling too, you had to ring up.

I'm not defending Sony here because some of the stuff in the TOS is kinda weak but going on about stuff that's in most TOSs about subscribing/authorized equipment to just try and have a dig at Sony is laughable.

Nice try though.

 

[431unknown]

Not sure how it used to be canceling a Live Account, but when I cancelled min this past November I was able to do it all online. There was also an option to turn off auto renew.

 

[lostdwarf]

Why not? Peripherals do not alter the console, mainly just the controller.
So using guitar hero breaks your TOS agreement?

Guitar Hero is authorized. They HAVE to say that, if the console broke because of some unauthorized equipment, Sony (or any company for that matter) doesn't have to do a damn thing.

If you subscribe, we know you are likely to forget to unsubscribe..

Yes and? I don't know what you're getting at. You're subscribing for something, of course it means it's going to charge you monthly/annually for it.
Let's not mention Microsoft, last time I checked (when I had a 360) there was NO way to turn off auto-renew and no way of cancelling too, you had to ring up.

I'm not defending Sony here because some of the stuff in the TOS is kinda weak but going on about stuff that's in most TOSs about subscribing/authorized equipment to just try and have a dig at Sony is laughable.

Nice try though.

Not getting at anything, if you read my post I declare these are my translations of some of the TOS.
Prowler_... Troller.

 

[prowler]

You know that they're in the source right?

 

[lostdwarf]

Who? knows? What? - is in the source?

 

[Joe88]

"you will not use any unauthorized hardware, including peripherals not sold or licensed by a Sony company"
=
Why not? Peripherals do not alter the console, mainly just the controller.
So using guitar hero breaks your TOS agreement?

they mean knock off (fake) controllers, but they are really talking about various jailbreak devices
guitar hero controllers are licensed

"SNEI has no obligation to reverse or refund unauthorized charges made on your credit or debit card"
=
If sony accidently take your money they don't have to give it back...

how do they "accidently take your money"?

"Subscriptions renew automatically unless you cancel the subscription. The cost of each subscription will automatically be deducted from your wallet at the beginning of each subscription term without further notice to you"
and
"your wallet will automatically be charged the cost of the subscription at the beginning of each subscription term without further notice to you"
=
If you subscribe, we know you are likely to forget to unsubscribe..

pretty much every subscription service out there does this (xbl, netflix for example) so I dont know how its any different