Do You Trust Valve With Your Credit Card Info?

[Democritus]

I like the whole Steam idea, but a major obstacle to my wanting to use it is Valve's inability to keep a lid on their network and their content. If they have my credit card info, I don't have a lot of faith, currently, that it will be secure. Do you trust Valve with your CC info?

 

[commando]

thats a very good point in a way that they got leaked... But i dont think your credit card detail goes to valve/steam man. or does it?

 

[DannoHung]

I trust them, sure. It's not like they're actually keeping a database with your credit card number. I'm pretty sure that part is farmed out to independent credit card services.

They probally do keep my contact info though. And I'm not so worried about that.

 

[Aknot]

Everyone knows the more "doors" you have the less secure your "house" will be. I would hope the credit card thing would be on a seperate SSL page and from there you get an "access" code for Steam. So I guess no I would not feel secure sendig my CC via Steam.

 

[Gorgon]

Nop, that is one of the many reasons why I prefer buying things from shops with cash.

 

[Wsh]

Looking at Steam and how unfinished it still feels like.. well, to be honest I wouldn't =[ maybe I'm just paranoid (and going to buy good ol' boxes from shop's anyway).

 

[moppe]

I think VALVe will handle it well.
If somebody wanted, they could crack the bank and get all your money.
Hey, watch your wallet. It might escape and all the money is gone, dont ever give your money to your wallet or the bank.

 

[Stage]

If it's on a seperate site not run by Valve, sure. If it's built in to Steam, no way in hell.

 

[Aknot]

I think VALVe will handle it well.
If somebody wanted, they could crack the bank and get all your money.
Hey, watch your wallet. It might escape and all the money is gone, dont ever give your money to your wallet or the bank.

errr an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If it is "safer" to purchase via a store why not? The law of averages ACTUALLY says it IS safer to shop online but that is through an SSL connection with proper procedures in place. Yet if that online store had problems in the past would/could you trust them in the future?

 

[^Ben]

Valve dosent handle any of the credit card actions so yes i trust the company that does do it

 

[Tork]

From all the things ive purchased online ive never had my cc info stolen or anything ::knocks on wood a million times:: but yeah id trust valve.

 

[FoB_Ed]

Yes, more so than some other game companies.

 

[Gunner]

Simply yes. But I'd rather have the box anyway

 

[Munro]

I order stuff from pretty much every online retailer, but I wont put my card number in Steam

 

[GorgeousOrifice]

Steam does all its CC transactions through an SSL-encrypted stream anyway, and the actual charge is handled by a third party Valve hired for this.

That shouldn't sound scary to anyone. Credit card companies are BIG TIME STICKLERS for things like accuracy and detail (imagine), and they are internet-savvy enough to insist on secure communications. Buying stuff over Steam is as secure as buying anything else over the web, and probably more so since the servers can only be accessed through the Steam client.

If you feel paranoid enough not to buy over Steam, you might want to start wearing a tinfoil hat to keep Major League Baseball from using their spy satellites (cleverly codenamed 'GPS') from spying on your thoughts.

/just sayin.

 

[Democritus]

Steam does all its CC transactions through an SSL-encrypted stream anyway, and the actual charge is handled by a third party Valve hired for this.

That shouldn't sound scary to anyone. Credit card companies are BIG TIME STICKLERS for things like accuracy and detail (imagine), and they are internet-savvy enough to insist on secure communications. Buying stuff over Steam is as secure as buying anything else over the web, and probably more so since the servers can only be accessed through the Steam client.

If you feel paranoid enough not to buy over Steam, you might want to start wearing a tinfoil hat to keep Major League Baseball from using their spy satellites (cleverly codenamed 'GPS') from spying on your thoughts.

/just sayin.

I'm not As concerned about the transmission of the cc data, I'm concerned about the storage of the data. I trust SSL and buy things online all the time. Valve's network just seems fragile and porous, and if they are going to keep my data, then I'm scared.

 

[^Ben]

It's not stored on valves network.

Valve dosent even get your credit card details it goes straight to the 3rd party bank.

Valve does not even touch the credit numbers, just because you put it into steam the details dont go into steam. They go into a secure database in a bank which handles millions of $ a day.

(read on steampowered forums for waldo)

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

I've already done it so, yes I trust them.

 

[goldenboi]

It doesn't even matter. Someone could easily file a class action lawsuit, just like they did with eBay, and people with get all their money back, andthen some.

 

[segobi]

It doesn't even matter. Someone could easily file a class action lawsuit, just like they did with eBay, and people with get all their money back, andthen some.

yeah..just do a chargeback for any non-authorized charges..and btw. im paying things in the internet with my ccs for several years now and everything is fine...

 

[goldenboi]

hehe not eBay, I meant PayPal :x

 

[jabberwock95]

I would trust steam with the number for my debit card with no overdraft which I keep about £50 on.

If I had a credit card with a £5000 limit? Hell no...

 

[Krusty]

Hmmm, well I took a gamble on allofmp3.com and mp3search*** and haven't got stung, so I reckon I'd trust Valve...

Hell, credit card transactions are insured anyway aren't they??

Krusty

 

[Epsi]

Keeping transactions and Steam secure from people trying to break in is something they have certainly spent time and effort checking over to make sure that it's secure.

In contrast, I doubt securing the source code to HL2 was thought about nearly as much. Anyways, give Valve a break, they were broken into once a year ago, never before, never since. You're more likely to be robbed by someone in real life making a quick duplicate of your card information.

 

[Johan_Tayn]

considering they were hacked a year ago, and they now are so tight and down and dirty with those who did the hacking, I would say yes. It's not any safer on PayPal.

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

I think VALVe will handle it well.
If somebody wanted, they could crack the bank and get all your money.
Hey, watch your wallet. It might escape and all the money is gone, dont ever give your money to your wallet or the bank.

Except the Bank.. well here at least, is FDIC insured, you have nothing to worry about. And if someone uses a non FDIC service they are retarded.

 

[Karis]

Heck no. And that GPS thing... I KNEW they were hiding something.

Seriously, don't be scared. I'm shure it's safe. Valve is a fairly smart company, and I have used my card many times online, never been bitten.

Don't let the hackers scare you. :naughty:

 

[iamaelephant]

Hell no, I would never trust Valve to handle any of my money. After all their f*ckups? You'd be insane.

 

[CrazyHarij]

There's no way in hell I'd do it with the mediocrity that steam is and valve's unreliability when it comes to security.

 

[Mountain Man]

I would trust them only because taking credit card orders on an unsecure system could open them up to enough lawsuits to bankrupt the company if the system was ever compromised, so I'd imagine Valve has their crap together. Doesn't mean I'm going to put my credit number into Steam, though.

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

Hell no, I would never trust Valve to handle any of my money. After all their f*ckups? You'd be insane.

Yes so many ****ups...I can only name one...BUT SO MANY!

 

[^Ben]

See this is the thing i have been trying to say in this thread i will put it into big letters for you.

valve does not see the credit card number.
valve does not store the credit card number.
valve does not handle any of you're money except when they get payed by the 3rd party.

I will explain what happens when you use steam.

You put you CC number and details into steam. All that info does not even touch valve's network, it goes straight into a trusted 3rd partys bank records(big bank) They clear it or reject it, If they clear it they send the required amount into valves bank account. And then valve will let you download the game.

Simple as.

Now if only i wish i could remember the steampowered.com thread where Waldo and Chris Bokitch(SP?) explained how it works.

Oh and by the way delays would not mean they would lose you're credit card details

 

[Chris D]

SSL very basically means that as soon as the credit card information enters the system it is encrypted and is then pretty much impossible to decrypt afterwards doesn't it?

Therefore there is no information for them to store.

 

[Varsity]

The money side of things isn't handled by Valve. It's encryped as usual with online purchases then routed to a deicated company. My only problem is that I don't know whether you are charged immediately when you pre-order a game or when it is released. I don't want my card number sitting around while I wait for HL2 to come out.

 

[^Ben]

Yah spot on chris. You can decode it but you would be dead by then And the credit card looong gone.

 

[AgentXen]

Just get a One time use City Credit Card with only the amount of money you need to buy your item/items.
Sheesss how THICK-HEADED can you be?

 

[Varsity]

I'm guessing that's only avaliable in America. Sounds useful though.

 

[Democritus]

SSL very basically means that as soon as the credit card information enters the system it is encrypted and is then pretty much impossible to decrypt afterwards doesn't it?

Therefore there is no information for them to store.

Well, it means that two computers talk to each other using an encryption key. Once it gets to its destination server, the server has the key to decrypt it and do whatever (including dumping it in a database). If the encryption is directly between my computer and the bank's computer then I'll order over steam. If the connection is between my computer and valve, valve stores the data, THEN passes it on to the bank, then I probably won't.

 

[Democritus]

See this is the thing i have been trying to say in this thread i will put it into big letters for you.

valve does not see the credit card number.
valve does not store the credit card number.
valve does not handle any of you're money except when they get payed by the 3rd party.

I will explain what happens when you use steam.

You put you CC number and details into steam. All that info does not even touch valve's network, it goes straight into a trusted 3rd partys bank records(big bank) They clear it or reject it, If they clear it they send the required amount into valves bank account. And then valve will let you download the game.

Simple as.

Now if only i wish i could remember the steampowered.com thread where Waldo and Chris Bokitch(SP?) explained how it works.

Oh and by the way delays would not mean they would lose you're credit card details

If this is the case, then I feel much better. If you can find that thread, let me know.

 

[seinfeldrules]

I bought CZ/CS over steam with no problems. I trust that after the hacking incident they have tightened up all security aspects of their company and wont let the same thing happen twice.