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FSLabs Threatens r/FlightSim with legal action after user complaints got posted there

Castdeath97

Well, just before you ask yes this is the same company that placed malware in their products as DRM: 

 

And no, they weren't done digging their graves yet. As a couple of days ago some users have found that FSLab product apparently place executable in the System32 files:

 

 

And if that wasn't enough, in an attempt to remove posts like this, FSLab threatened r/flightsim with legal action if these posts weren't removed:

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/flightsim/comments/8nxcl5/an_open_letter_to_flight_sim_labs/

 

Quote

Hello /r/flightsim,

With recent events surrounding allegations against Flight Sim Labs Ltd., that company has begun to issue threats against the /r/flightsim mod team. We, as moderators, have always maintained an internal policy of remaining transparent with the community. In keeping with that policy, we have elected to respond to their correspondence with an open letter. To provide context, we are also including their original messages to us as well as our very brief conversation with site administrators.

 

This is simply too mind boggling to process. So for my thoughts I'm just leaving this lovely post from r/flightsim here:

 

 

Other sources: https://fselite.net/news/fslabs-statement-on-cmdhost/

 

Edit:

 

Guess what? Apparently they have not only threatened the sub reddit mods with legal action, but also the FSElite Website for reporting it:  https://fselite.net/originals/our-response-to-recent-events/

 

Edit 2: 

 

Letters and messages: 

 

Other violations FSL tried in the sub reddit:

 

 

 

If you want to reply back to me or someone else USE THE QUOTE BUTTON!                                                      
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Did the conversation go something like this?

 

"Boss! We're in trouble and people are complaining about us, what should we do?!"

"Sue them until they like us!"

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You gotta wonder what they are thinking. These actions are burning what little public good will they had left.

 

Best course of action? Immediately apologize for all actions, be 100% clear and up front about there being activation DRM for the A320 (and any other) add-on, rename the activation DRM from "cmdhost.exe" to something non-sketchy (something like "activationhost.exe" might be okay), and move the DRM from the system folder into the application folder (or the ProgramData folder under a "fslabs" directory).

 

Oh, and delete/remove/never install again the literal malware, which is likely illegal in most western nations anyway.

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39 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

You gotta wonder what they are thinking. These actions are burning what little public good will they had left.

 

Best course of action? Immediately apologize for all actions, be 100% clear and up front about there being activation DRM for the A320 (and any other) add-on, rename the activation DRM from "cmdhost.exe" to something non-sketchy (something like "activationhost.exe" might be okay), and move the DRM from the system folder into the application folder (or the ProgramData folder under a "fslabs" directory).

In that case I would urge you to read the response of their self-proclaimed PR Manager. 

 

Things like this just keep on giving. 

The ability to google properly is a skill of its own. 

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I guess the legal team is flying too close to the sun! 

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I'm pretty sure this DRM must be in breach of GDPR in some form. If anything it'll get thrown out of court and he'll be slapped with some kind of heavy punishment (he'll being whoever is in charge)

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ooooh FSLabs. you try so hard, you make good products (from a technical standpoint only) but your service, policies and PR department will always be somewhere at the reception desk of hell.

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15 minutes ago, valdyrgramr said:

So, if I shoot someone, and they complain about it to the cops, should I sue the person I shot?

Can I then sue you for complaining about you suing that guy who complained about the ballistic that may or may not have made contact with his person? 

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1 minute ago, valdyrgramr said:

Yo dawg.

IMG_0024.thumb.JPG.8979cde92fa15f314e63f8b834580b20.JPG

 

Which one? There's a third, but she's a little sh#t that won't cooperate with photos. 

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22 minutes ago, sof006 said:

I'm pretty sure this DRM must be in breach of GDPR in some form. If anything it'll get thrown out of court and he'll be slapped with some kind of heavy punishment (he'll being whoever is in charge)

I kinda wanna buy something from them so I can file a complaint.. Would be fun to see their reaction to the fine. Maybe they will sue everyone? 

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2 minutes ago, valdyrgramr said:
  Hide contents

See the source image

This dawg

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oh. and even FSLab's own webpage is still flagged by google for Malicious content.

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Seems about right.

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1 hour ago, Bouzoo said:

In that case I would urge you to read the response of their self-proclaimed PR Manager. 

I just couldn't help noticing a couple of things:

 

Quote

 Inferring that it does because 'some' malware in the past may have made use of the system folder is simply ridiculous. By the same token, 'some' malware in the past has been circulated by form of e-mail attachment. 

Also, some malware in the past has been coded and distributed by FSLabs. We're not just going to assume everything coded and distributed by FSLabs is malware.

 

Quote

Nobody, with the exception of the one pirate user who we explained about back in February, had any personal details compromised in February. I'll say it again - that was wrong, it shouldn't have happened, and be under no illusions as to the strength of internal reaction when that emerged.

Also, it is a criminal offense - the mere act of distributing it is. Actually taking the date of "the one guy" is just a second offense.

But hey, I killed this one guy, it's not like a serial killer or anything, you know, so if you call me murderer one more time I'm suing...

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1 hour ago, Bouzoo said:

In that case I would urge you to read the response of their self-proclaimed PR Manager. 

 

Things like this just keep on giving. 

Reading now.

 

@Castdeath97 can you update the OP with the "internal letters" that were posted to reddit, and not just the reddit mods response?

 

Anyway, it just seems insane that they would act like this.

 

Just finished reading FSL message #1. Love the casual threat of legal action.

 

Okay just finished reading both FSL messages, the mods response, and FSL's response to the response.

 

Jesus man, they just don't know when to quit? Honestly, their file is probably harmless. BUT it should not be in the system32 folder. Put that shit in the correct place, and don't "hide" it with a weird name that sounds like a Windows system file to the uninitiated.

 

And frankly, the fact that they literally had malware that stole a users passwords as part of their software, makes them, quite simply, not a reliable source of information.

 

They must understand that because of their highly serious and potentially illegal previous infractions, that FSLabs are no longer a trustworthy and credible company. They must prove to us that they have changed their ways. They must regain the trust of the community. They can't simply expect us to trust them again, because they said so.

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53 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

-snip-

are you saying you wouldn't trust me if you found my security camera in your bedroom and confronted me about it. i admitted to it but it was only there to catch people who might be trying to break into your house through your bedroom window. i certainly wasn't watching you sleep.

then i took it a step further and planted a bomb on the foundations of your house and told you to trust me that i was not going to set it off, if was only there "just in case"?

 

are you crazy, why no trust me?? 

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Can't believe i just spent 20 minute reading through the entire subredit thread. Anyways, the developer just dug themselves into a huge hole that they can't get out of.

They are definitely trying to keep their livelihood at bay, but they overstepped their boundaries in what a sim software should be. Whoever is making the business decisions in that company is making some very wrong decisions, he needs some help.

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28 minutes ago, Sierra Fox said:

are you saying you wouldn't trust me if you found my security camera in your bedroom and confronted me about it. i admitted to it but it was only there to catch people who might be trying to break into your house through your bedroom window. i certainly wasn't watching you sleep.

@dalekphalm is a voyeur?! :ph34r:

 

/s

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6 minutes ago, Bcat00 said:

Whoever is making the business decisions in that company is making some very wrong decisions, he needs some help.

the same guy who used to work for PMDG and was blacklisting people's product keys that said anything negative about them or their products on their forums (even just normal bug reports), keeping in mind that their most popular module, the 747-400 (which is regarded as the best simulation of any plane ever with everything 100% simulated) cost around $200USD at the time

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5 minutes ago, VegetableStu said:

how did they keep track of that?! o_o that's not something I check for every day

You can run software that tracks filesystem changes, or software that logs what files are installed by software installers. They're more common on Linux, but ones do exist for Windows too.

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And this is why I don't buy planes from them 

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1 hour ago, Sierra Fox said:

are you saying you wouldn't trust me if you found my security camera in your bedroom and confronted me about it. i admitted to it but it was only there to catch people who might be trying to break into your house through your bedroom window. i certainly wasn't watching you sleep.

then i took it a step further and planted a bomb on the foundations of your house and told you to trust me that i was not going to set it off, if was only there "just in case"?

 

are you crazy, why no trust me?? 

Sounds totally legit :P

1 hour ago, ARikozuM said:

@dalekphalm is a voyeur?! :ph34r:

 

/s

Technically @Sierra Fox would be the voyeur, since he put the hypothetical cameras in my hypothetical bathroom "bedroom"... yes... that's exactly what I meant...

 

 

"Hypothetically" speaking, that is xD

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4 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

my hypothetical bathroom.

your bedroom is a hypothetical bathroom?

 

i have a sudden desire to remove those cameras

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21 minutes ago, Sierra Fox said:

your bedroom is a hypothetical bathroom?

 

i have a sudden desire to remove those cameras

Heh, misread what you wrote.

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