Overview
Steam is a video game digital distribution service and storefront by Valve with support for virtual reality headsets. The terms say the Steam community includes message boards, forums and chat areas, where users can exchange ideas and communicate with each other. In addition, the terms say Steam does not sell a user's data to third parties, but Steam may process anonymous data of users to analyze and produce statistics related to the habits, usage patterns, and demographics of customers as a group or as individuals. Steam's terms say they may share anonymous data, aggregated or not, with third parties. However, the terms do not say whether Stream may display targeted advertisements to users or whether Stream may track users across different applications and services on the internet for advertising purposes.
The terms say Steam recognizes how important it is to help protect their users' privacy and security. In addition, the terms say Steam understands that secure products and services are critical in establishing and maintaining trust with their users. The terms say Steam is not intended for children under 13 year of age and Steam does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. Lastly, Steam's terms also say that users can access, modify, delete, and export their personal information from the Steam service at any time. However, the terms do not discuss student data privacy and potential use by students in K-12 institutions.
Steam can be accessed through its website, and is available for download at the iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use used for this evaluation can be found on Steam's website, iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. Additionally, other policies used for this evaluation include: Security Policy, and Steam Subscriber Agreement. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.
Safety
The terms say the Steam community includes message boards, forums and chat areas, where users can exchange ideas and communicate with each other. In addition, Steam will collect and process a user's personal data whenever they provide it as part of communication with others on Steam in Steam Community Forums, chats, or when a user provides feedback or other user generated content. The terms say that Steam does not require users to provide or use their real name for the setup of their Steam User Account. However, at a minimum the public profile name a user has chosen to represent themselves on Steam and their avatar picture are publicly accessible, as well as whether they have received a ban for cheating in a multiplayer game.
Privacy
The terms say Steam collects personal data from users through automated electronic interactions and application usage data which includes various information about a user's behavioral activity with Steam. The terms say content-related information includes a user's Steam ID, as well as what is usually referred to as game statistics. According to Steam, game statistics mean information about a user's game preferences, progress in the games, playtime, as well as information about the device they are using, including what operating system they are using, device settings, unique device identifiers, and crash data.
In addition, the terms say Steam does not sell a user's data to third parties, but Steam may process anonymous data of users to analyze and produce statistics related to the habits, usage patterns, and demographics of customers as a group or as individuals. Steam's terms say they may share anonymous data, aggregated or not, with third parties. However, the terms do not say whether Stream may display targeted advertisements to users or whether Stream may track users across different applications and services on the internet for advertising purposes.
Security
The terms say Steam recognizes how important it is to help protect their users' privacy and security. In addition, the terms say Steam understands that secure products and services are critical in establishing and maintaining trust with their users. Steam's terms also say they strive to consistently deliver secure and enjoyable experiences in all of their products and services. The terms say Steam uses reasonable security practices to protect personal data and will respond as soon as they can to fix any verifiable security issues. When notified of legitimate issues, the terms say Steam will begin investigating any security issue and will work to correct any vulnerabilities quickly. However, the terms do not say whether reasonable security practices such as encryption are used to protect a user's personal data while in transit or at rest, or whether notice is provided to users in the event of a data breach.
Compliance
The terms say Steam is not intended for children under 13 year of age and Steam does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. However, the terms also say Steam requires parental consent before a Steam user account can be created for children and before any personal data associated with a child account is collected or shared. Steam encourages parents to instruct their children to never give out personal information when online. In addition, the terms say if a parent withdraws their consent Steam will delete the personal data of their child without undue delay. Lastly, Steam's terms also say that users can access, modify, delete, and export their personal information from the Steam service at any time. However, the terms do not discuss student data privacy and potential use by students in K-12 institutions.
Overall Score
Every privacy rating includes an overall score. A higher score (up to 100%) means the product provides more transparent privacy policies with better practices to protect user data. The score is best used is as an indicator of how much additional work a person will need to do to make an informed decision about a product.
| Basic Score | Full Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Assessment | 53 | 46 |
Concerns
The privacy evaluation process summarizes the policies of an application or service into concern categories based on a subset of evaluation questions that can be used to quickly identify particular practices of a vendor’s policies. These concerns are composed of evaluation questions that can be used to calculate scores relative to that concern.
| Concern | Basic Score | Full Score |
|---|---|---|
| Data Collection: Protecting personal information | 83 | 55 |
| Data Sharing: Protecting data from third parties | 100 | 65 |
| Data Security: Protecting against unauthorized access | 0 | 25 |
| Data Rights: Controlling rights to data | 63 | 85 |
| Data Sold: Preventing sale of data | 75 | 45 |
| Data Safety: Promoting responsible use | 67 | 45 |
| Ads & Tracking: Prohibiting the exploitation of users' decision making process | 7 | 20 |
| Parental Consent: Protecting children’s personal information | 100 | 60 |
| School Purpose: Following student data privacy laws | 0 | 0 |
| Individual Control: Controlling data use | NA | 35 |
Statutes
Each statute or regulation is associated with one or more evaluation questions. As such, we can calculate scores for each statute or regulation using only those questions associated with the statute or regulation. Each specific statute or regulation's score serves as an indirect proxy indicating the likelihood of the application or service satisfying all of its compliance obligations.
| Statute | Basic Score | Full Score |
|---|---|---|
| California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) | 69 | 42 |
| Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) | 55 | 49 |
| Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) | 50 | 36 |
| Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA) | 35 | 39 |
| General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) | 70 | 59 |
| The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) | 43 | 49 |
Privacy Policy Details
1: Transparency
1.1: Policy Version
- Privacy policies do indicate a version or effective date.
- Privacy policies do not indicate a change log or past policy version is available.
1.2: Policy Notice
- Unclear whether users are notified if there are any material changes to the policies.
- Privacy policies do not indicate the method used to notify a user when policies are updated.
1.3: Policy Changes
- Unclear whether users are notified prior to any material changes to the policies.
- Changes to the policies are effective immediately and continued use of the product indicates consent.
1.4: Policy Coverage
- Privacy policies indicate the products that are covered by the policies.
1.5: Privacy Contact
- Users can contact the company about any privacy policy questions, complaints, or material changes to the policies.
1.6: Policy Principles
- Privacy policies do indicate privacy principles, layered notices, or a table of contents.
1.7: Policy Language
- Privacy policies are available in multiple languages.
1.8: Intended Use
- Not intended for children under 13.
- Intended for teens.
- Intended for adults over 18.
- Unclear whether intended for parents or guardians.
- Unclear whether intended for students.
- Unclear whether intended for teachers.
2: Focused Collection
2.1: Data Collection
- Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected.
- The categories of collected personally identifiable information are indicated.
- Unclear whether this product collects geolocation data.
- Unclear whether this product collects biometric or health data.
- Interactions, behaviors, or usage analytics data are collected.
- Sensitive data are collected.
- Data is automatically collected.
2.2: Data Source
- Unclear whether personal information or education records are collected from preK-12 students.
- Personal information from children under 13 years of age is not collected.
2.3: Data Excluded
- Unclear whether specific types of personal information excluded from collection.
- Unclear whether specific types of collected information are excluded from the privacy policy.
2.4: Data Limitation
- Collection or use of data is limited to product requirements.
3: Data Sharing
3.1: Data Shared With Third Parties
- Collected information is shared with third parties.
- The categories of information shared with third parties are indicated.
3.2: Data Use by Third Parties
- The purpose for sharing a user's personal information with third parties is indicated.
- Data are shared for analytics.
- Unclear whether data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
- Unclear whether personal information are shared for third-party marketing.
3.3: Data Not Shared With Third Parties
- Unclear whether there are specific categories of information that are not shared with third parties.
3.4: Data Sold to Third Parties
- Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
3.5: Third-Party Data Acquisition
- Unclear whether personal information about users is obtained from third parties.
3.6: Third-Party Links
- Unclear whether links to third-party external websites are age-appropriate.
3.7: Third-Party Data Access
- Third parties are authorized to access a user's information.
3.8: Third-Party Data Collection
- Personal information of users is collected by a third party.
3.9: Third-Party Data Misuse
- Unclear whether personal information can be deleted from a third party.
3.10: Third-Party Service Providers
- Third-party services are used to support the product.
- The roles of third-party service providers are indicated.
3.11: Third-Party Affiliates
- Unclear whether the categories of third parties that receive data are indicated.
3.12: Third-Party Policies
- Links to privacy policies of third-party companies are available.
3.13: Third-Party Data Combination
- Company may combine data with additional data from third-party sources.
- Unclear whether data shared with third parties can be combined with other data.
3.14: Third-Party Authentication
- Unclear whether this product supports third-party login.
- Unclear whether personal information from third-party login providers is collected.
- Unclear whether personal Information is shared with third-party login providers.
3.15: De-identified or Anonymized Data
- User information that is shared is shared in an anonymous or de-identified format.
- Unclear whether the company describes their de-identification process of user information.
3.16: Third-Party Contractual Obligations
- Contractual limits are placed on third-party data use.
- Contractual limits prohibit third parties from reidentifying or de-identified information.
4: Respect for Context
4.1: Data Use
- Unclear whether use of information is limited to the purpose for which it was collected.
- The context or purpose for which data are collected is indicated.
4.2: Data Combination
- Unclear whether this product treats combined information as personally identifiable information (PII).
4.3: Data Notice
- Unclear whether notice is provided if the context in which data are collected changes.
4.4: Data Changes
- Unclear whether consent is obtained if the practices in which data are collected change.
4.5: Policy Enforcement
- Accounts may be terminated if users engage in any prohibited activities.
5: Individual Control
5.1: User Content
- Users can create or upload content.
5.2: User Consent
- Opt-in consent is requested from users at the time personal information is collected.
5.3: Remedy Process
- A grievance or remedy mechanism is available for users to file a complaint.
5.4: Data Settings
- Users can control the use of their information through privacy settings.
5.5: Data Disclosure
- Users can opt out from the disclosure or sale of their data to a third party.
- Unclear whether users can request to know what personal information has been shared with third parties.
- Unclear whether notice is provided in the event the company receives a government or legal request for a user's information.
5.6: Intellectual Property
- Users retain ownership of their data.
- A copyright license is claimed to data or content collected from a user.
- Any copyright license to a user's data is limited in scope or duration.
6: Access and Accuracy
6.1: Data Access
- Processes to access or review user data are available.
- Methods are available to restrict who has access to data.
- Unclear whether the school, parents, or students can review student data.
6.2: Data Integrity
- Unclear whether the company attempts to maintain the accuracy of data they collect.
6.3: Data Correction
- Processes to modify data are available for authorized users.
- Unclear whether the school, parents, or students can modify inaccurate student information.
- Unclear whether the time period for the company to modify inaccurate data is indicated.
6.4: Data Retention
- A data-retention policy is available.
- Exceptions to the data retention policy exist.
6.5: Data Deletion
- Data are deleted when no longer necessary.
- A user's data are deleted upon account cancellation or termination.
- Processes to delete user data are available.
- Unclear whether authorzied users can delete data.
- Unclear whether the time period for the company to delete data is indicated.
6.6: Data Portability
- Processes to download user data are available.
- A user can assign an authorized account manager or legacy contact.
7: Data Transfer
7.1: Data Handling
- User information can be transferred to a third party in the event of a merge, acquisition, or bankruptcy.
- Unclear whether users are notified if their information is transferred to a third party.
7.2: Transfer Request
- Unclear whether user information can be deleted prior to its transfer to a third party.
7.3: Onward Contractual Obligations
- Unclear whether third-party transfers are contractually required to use the same privacy practices.
8: Security
8.1: User Identity
- A user's identity is verified with additional personal information.
8.2: User Account
- Account creation is required.
- Unclear whether managed accounts are available.
- Unclear whether multi-factor account protection is available.
8.3: Third-Party Security
- Unclear whether third-parties with access to information are required to provide the same security protections as the company.
8.4: Data Confidentiality
- Reasonable security practices are used to protect data.
- Unclear whether this product limits employee or physical access to user information.
8.5: Data Transmission
- Unclear whether this product encrypts all data in transit.
8.6: Data Storage
- Unclear whether all data are stored in an encrypted format.
- The company is clear what jurisdiction a user's personal information is subject to.
8.7: Data Breach
- Unclear whether this product provides notice in the event of a data breach.
8.8: Data Oversight
- Data-privacy and/or security-compliance audits are performed.
9: Responsible Use
9.1: Social Interactions
- Users can interact with trusted users.
- Users can interact with untrusted users, including strangers and/or adults.
- Profile information must be shared for social interactions.
9.2: Data Visibility
- Personal information can be displayed publicly.
- Users can control how their data are displayed to others.
9.3: Monitor and Review
- Unclear whether user-created content is reviewed, screened, or monitored by the company.
- Unclear whether user-created content is filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.
- Unclear whether social interactions between users are moderated.
- Unclear whether social interactions of users are logged.
9.4: Report Content
- Unclear whether users can filter or block inappropriate content.
- Users can report abuse or cyberbullying.
9.5: Internet Safety
- The company provides links to resources that support safe and appropriate social interactions.
10: Advertising
10.1: Company Communications
- Unclear whether a user can receive service- or administrative-related communications from the company.
10.2: Traditional Advertising
- Unclear whether this product displays traditional or contextual advertisements.
10.3: Behavioral Advertising
- Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.
10.4: Ad Tracking
- Unclear whether data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
- Unclear whether this product uses a user's information to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
- Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
10.5: Filtered Advertising
- Unclear whether ads displayed to children are filtered for inappropriate content.
10.6: Marketing Communications
- The company can send marketing messages.
- The company does provide promotional sweepstakes, contests, or surveys.
10.7: Unsubscribe
- Unclear whether this product provides users the ability to opt-out of contextual, or personalised advertising.
- Users can opt out or unsubscribe from marketing communications.
10.8: Do Not Track
- Unclear whether this product responds to "Do Not Track" or other opt-out mechanisms.
- The company does provide a method for users to opt-out from third-party tracking.
11: Compliance
11.1: Children Under 13
- Company does not have actual knowledge that personal information from users under 13 years of age is collected.
- The company does not provide a section, heading, or separate policy for children in their policies.
- Unclear whether this product restricts or prohibits account creation for users under 13 years of age.
11.2: Students in K–12
- Unclear whether this product is primarily used by, designed for, and marketed toward students in grades preK–12.
- Processes to enter education records into the product are not described.
- Unclear whether additional rights or protections may be provided with an additional school contract.
- Unclear whether the company is designated as a school official.
11.3: Parental Consent
- Parental consent is required before personal information is collected or disclosed.
- Unclear whether this product limits parental consent with respect to third parties.
- Parents can withdraw consent for the further collection of their child's information.
- Children's personal information is deleted if collected without parental consent.
- Unclear whether this product provides parental consent notice and method for submission.
- Unclear whether this product transfers parental consent obligations to the school or district.
11.4: Legal Requirements
- The legal jurisdiction that applies to the laws governing the policies is indicated.
- A user is required to waive the right to a jury trial, or settle any disputes by arbitration.
- A user is required to waive the right to join a class action lawsuit.
- A company will disclose personal information to law enforcement.
11.5: Certification
- Unclear whether the company has signed a privacy pledge or received a privacy certification.
11.6: International Laws
- A user's data are subject to International data transfer or jurisdiction laws.
- The company has indicated it is a Data Controller or Data Processor.