Since the beta version of Once Human, there has been an overwhelming concern about how data is tracked. It’s no surprise that gaming companies track data, but how it’s being done in this game confuses players, leading to negativity about it. It’s an invasion of privacy, but is it actually happening? Is there spyware in Once Human once you’ve installed it to your PC?
Addressing Spyware in Once Human
Unfortunately, Once Human does have spyware that is secretly installed along with the game. When you install the game, two programs are added to your PC’s startup programs. That means that these two programs will run every time you start up your PC. However, there is no indication that these programs have had any negative effects on those who are playing the game. The programs can be found as:
- 0
- C52aea44-d3b2-469f-915a-434ad151e49f
Can You Remove the Spyware?
Note: The Nerd Stash is not responsible for any issues that arise with your PC after following these instructions.
Yes, you can remove the spyware by uninstalling the game. You can also disable the two programs by going into the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del. Once the Task Manager opens, right-click on the programs feature above and disable them.
Players can also mitigate the issue using an open-source PowerShell script that blocks the app responsible for the information. Reddit user u/Hypertoken provided this information, explaining that the game’s moderators deleted the original post on the Steam page.
Some gamers in the thread noted that the programs had already been disabled before they went in to do it themselves. This was the case for me. Hopefully, this means that NetEase and Starry Studio are working towards removing them altogether to avoid losing their player base and new potential players.
