Developers from CCP Games announced the blocking of an unusual user of EVE Online - the American lobbyist Brian Schoeneman, who uses the pseudonym Brisk Rubal. He not only lost access to the space MMORPG, but was also removed from the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) - the game "government" representing the interests of fans (its members are chosen by the users themselves). The reason was a violation of the non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
The official CCP Games blog explains that SchΓΆneman passed confidential information to other members of his alliance, one of whom used it to conduct prohibited in-game transactions. The developers excluded him from the thirteenth CSM and deprived him of the opportunity to nominate himself for this virtual organization in the future. All offender accounts are permanently banned. Two other users associated with this incident were banned from the game for a year, and all "illegal materials" and the ISK currency received as a result of transactions were seized.
βTo be clear, we learned of [SchΓΆnemann's] inappropriate behavior from other CSM participants,β the developers wrote. - The position of CCP Games on this issue is unambiguous: no matter what information was transmitted, such actions are contrary to the values ββββof CSM and are unacceptable under any circumstances. The Board is built on trust, and we expect every member to be committed to the principle of maintaining confidentiality of information. [β¦] It is especially depressing that this violation was committed by a very useful and respected member of the Council.β
The developers thanked the participants of CSM 13 for their "openness and respect for the Council" and promised to make changes that will help avoid similar incidents in the future. From the next summit there will be a ban on the use of electronic devices during CSM sessions. In addition, the company will additionally tell the participants about the obligations that the NDA imposes on them.
At first, SchΓΆneman wrote on his Twitter that he did not know for what reason he was blocked and removed from CSM, categorically denied the accusations and stated that he was going to restore his reputation. A few hours later, he posted a detailed explanation on Reddit. According to him, in the letter he received from CCP Games, the reasons for the block were not explained - only a violation of the terms of the NDA was mentioned.
βAs a lawyer and public figure in the US, I am governed by a code of professional responsibility and statutory law, while the ethics of the CCP Games team are not transparent,β he wrote. - In ten years of licensed advocacy, not a single complaint has been filed against me. I worked in the American government in positions that required public trust, and no one had any complaints against me either. Claims that I could risk my reputation by divulging inside information to members of my own alliance for personal gain are false."
SchΓΆneman claims that over the past year he has "worked tirelessly" for the benefit of the community that elected him and attended "over 95%" of meetings with developers. He also stood up for two players who received a temporary block, calling their punishment unfair: they allegedly did not receive any secret information from him. Users in the comments almost unanimously condemned SchΓΆnemann - many left malicious, stinging comments.
According to his LinkedIn profile, SchΓΆneman is the policy and legal director for the Seafarers International Union of North America, the nation's largest maritime union. In the past, he served as Special Assistant and Senior Speechwriter to the US Secretary of Labor and also ran for the Virginia state government. He was elected to the CSM last year. In the commercial, SchΓΆneman admitted that he used to be an ordinary fan of the game (he joined it in 2006), but members of The Initiative alliance, in which he was a member, persuaded him to put forward his candidacy for the Council. As part of the "election campaign", he developed a plan to improve EVE Online.
Source: 3dnews.ru