Users allege that Epic's launcher collects your Steam data, Valve and Epic respond to claims
Securing exclusive titles, being yet another entry in the repertoire of PC gaming launchers, and lacking storefront options has had the newly formed Epic Games Store in a state of constant controversy ever since the day it was announced. The latest issue gamers have with the Epic Launcher is a little different this time, however, as multiple posts on various sites have claimed that the Epic Launcher collects user data, Steam data, specifically. One user in particular, called Madjoki, alleged that the Epic looks for Steam data, and if found, it copies a file called localconfig.vdf, and uses it to track what games players have installed from Steam, and your friends list stored in the Steam Cloud.
Once the claims gained enough traction, Epic Games eventually responded, stating that any form of tracking is merely used to monitor data for the company's Support-a-Creator program, which is outlined in the private policy when making an account. Epic's VP in engineering, Daniel Vogel, stated the following on Reddit when addressing customer concerns.
In regards to accessing Steam's localconfig.vcf file, the CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, admits that the launcher does indeed access the file without user permission, but followed that statement up with saying that the data is only actually sent to Epic if one actively chooses to import their Steam friends list. In the same post, he also said that this would be fixed in a future update.
Valve also stepped into the fray, commenting that they would be looking into the matter, and that private data relating to Steam users should not ever be used by other software.
What do you think about this? Does this affect if you'll use the Epic Games Launcher, do you not mind, or are you already convinced on never using the program for your PC gaming needs?
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