Home / Poker News January 2016 / PokerStars Apparently Institutes New Security Measures
PokerStars Apparently Institutes New Security Measures
Posted by: Jo Martin - Wed, 2016-01-27 09:00
When it comes to account security one can never be cautious enough in the
online poker world, but the possibility of overkill in this respect does exist and - if the latest rumors making the rounds at some of the popular poker forums are true - PokerStars may just have crossed that line. According to some of these posts/stories, providing a valid ID, with a photo and a copy of one's utility bill as proof of residence is passé these days in security circles. Instead, PokerStars are asking some of their players to shoot a 70-minute video of themselves playing a standard session. Their surroundings (including their computer screen(s)) have to be visible in the said video, as well as their physical appearance. Those asked to do this have apparently 10 days at their disposal to comply. Those who fail to deliver the required video-evidence will apparently have their accounts closed.
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Exactly what sort of problems the new measures are supposed to weed out isn't clear at this point. Certainly, collusion, botting and the use of third-party software are all problems, but how is this sort of approach supposed to root out any offenders? Obviously, with the use of big data, security people can use the provided 70-minute sample to look for inconsistencies in how one plays, and third-party software users will find it difficult to play as many tables as they normally do without their tools, but it still looks like a gargantuan task, with slim chances of producing any reasonable results.
Some of the above-said posters are already complaining about the "Orwellian" measures, but obviously, if it all results in a better play-experience for recreational players, it will have been well worth the trouble.
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