EVE Technology Lab

I figured I'd raise this idea since WH API are being looked at to make it harder for intel gathering to know if something is in WH or active in a WH and/or if safe to enter or be in one. In turn making it more risk adverse and unknown the way Eve should be on all levels.

I'm proposing to get rid of wallet/trade transactions, corp shares, and eve mail pulls thru API keys. We all know FULL API keys are required from corps and alliance recruiter to do snooping and background checks just to gain access to internal services on their servers and get recruited but also it's pulled thru methods of API Jacknife and other web applications auths for intel purposes during the application process. And while yes I know you can kill/change the keys.. the data that has already been pulled in is now cached on someone's hard drive and also if you do delete the API key it will discontinue your forum and comms access which is pretty dumb.

I'd like to see this private and privileged data not even be an option to share on FULL API, I'm not saying get rid of "FULL API" but players shouldn't be forced to check a few boxes in order to be "trusted". Now you might say "well you're not being forced to give it, and if you don't want to divulge your FULL API to these people then don't join them" BUT that's purely a BS and easy cop out on the matter at hand.

Now I'm sure originally these API features became available to help the actual player themselves and third party devs to make accessing Eve easier with tools for players to track their OWN information. Over time it turned into corps and alliance using them for security purposes to weed out spies which ruins the actual sandbox and meta of Eve to be honest. I just don't think this info should be easily available or coerced into giving over in order to join corps, websites, services, alliance etc. Whatever happened to the larger risks of recruiting and the unknown?????


Reasons to get rid of these features:

• PRIVACY basically submitting virtual SSN and Banking info in order for a group of players to accept you. Then it automatically pulls API every day for changes made. Too easy for them to gather intel and players shouldn't be forced to submit this if they want to awox or spy on certain groups OR just don't feel like giving up the info in general.
• Makes finding out who your alts are harder.
• More Sandbox and Unknown variables.
• Shake up huge alliance and coalition level authorization.. maybe that's why they exist because it's too easy to keep track of and "trust" 500+ players. Too easy to pull 1000s of mail and wallet/trade transactions that happened every 24hrs because of automated FULL API pull scripts and keyword searching.
• More RISK for larger entities vs small groups/corps.
• More trust is needed, in turn more risk during recruiting players.
• Nobody will be turned away from corps or alliances because of not willing to divulge this private data hourly or daily open all the time.

Proposal:

• Evemail, Wallet/Trade Transactions, Shares not able to be checked/included in API. Make a new "FULL API" without this info.
• Make Evemail, Wallet/Trade Transactions, Shares, ONLY viewable thru an interface in EVE Gate if player wants to view them out of game and in game client only.

Now I know some recruiters are going to be like "send me screenies of your in game client or eve gate" of this info. But I will assure you from personal experience that unless you warrant someone to check your info it's not going to be done hourly, daily, automatically, scripted. It will most likely be a 1 time thing during initial recruitment because how the hell would a recruiter ask for this stuff daily from 100.. 1000s of players and then sit down and manually go thru the info. They would simply do randoms or on reason of suspicion and not the easy database and keyword win button. I know people are going to go crazy about this but it's truly a legit concern and inquiry to make the game more enjoyable and not so easy for people with access to these 3rd party tools, database and servers and maybe just maybe some more expensive ships will get blown up in the process.



*Edit Also to quickly add maybe have player and corp standings to be redacted from a "FULL API" as well. That way during recruitment you can reset standings or delete them and thereafter a screenie is sent you can add or revert back to Blues/Reds. But atleast during your time in corp/alliance your standards wouldn't be pulled automatically every hourl/daily into a database for easy checking.

Why does your spy have incriminating evidence on his API? Get better at spying! Be more like Austin Powers!

And leave my 3rd party API tools alone, thank you very much.

They still have some uses. The full API key gives you access to some endpoints you'd otherwise require a corporation key for.