CS:GO community not happy about FACEIT’s new anti-smurfing mechanic

FACEIT, one of the preferred external platforms for the community and professional CS:GO, players themselves, recently introduced a new way of verifying player identity. There is no doubt that this is the first time we have seen it on this platform, but FACEIT is doing it to combat smurfs, which are undoubtedly very common in the game.

Many of us have played a game where we faced a player who, with a few games played, is level 8 or 9 in FACEIT. On the other hand, it can also happen that you are playing against a level 2 or 3 player, and he annihilates all the opponents. There is no doubt that this player is smurfing and completely damages the integrity of the game.

FACEIT, with this new policy, is trying to combat this problem and account sharing head-on. However, the community is not entirely happy with this new mechanism, as they do not believe it is possible and effective.

FACEIT to introduce a new account verification mechanism

To combat smurfs, FACEIT will implement a new mechanism on its platform that will allow players’ identities to be verified. As many online gambling and poker sites do, players will now have to send some personal documents to verify their FACEIT account.

According to FACEIT’s Privacy Policies, the goal of implementing this mechanism is to fight against players who are disloyal and smurf or share accounts to damage the integrity of the game. However, many users do not believe this is possible, as a user on Reddit started a discussion about it, and many of the responses were negative.

Looks like FACEIT leaked their own "Smurf" update on their privacy page.
by u/Ok-Jacket2520 in GlobalOffensive

In this debate, many in the community said they would never use this verification system, as they would not provide their ID to a company based in Saudi Arabia.

Comment
by u/514242421425 from discussion Looks like FACEIT leaked their own "Smurf" update on their privacy page.
in GlobalOffensive

Others comment similarly and say that while they hate Smurfs, they will not provide their data to a Saudi Arabian company.

“Nah, as much as I hate smurfs (and occasional cheaters), there’s no way I would provide Faceit my ID or other private information, especially considering the Saudi link. They already have full access to my computer with their kernel-level anti-cheat. They should improve their platform by utilizing their AC better and making a Prime Status requirement.”

Comment
by u/hestianna from discussion Looks like FACEIT leaked their own "Smurf" update on their privacy page.
in GlobalOffensive

Speculation as to how this mechanism will be implemented

In addition to the negative comments about this new mechanism, many community members began speculating about how FACEIT would go about verifying the identity of players. One of these users pointed out that BIG, the German CS:GO team, does this in the FACEIT HUB to accept members. He further stresses that the verification process is through the webcam and showing a valid ID.

However, in the privacy policies, FACEIT also stresses that players can remove their documents whenever they want. As a result, the player’s FACEIT account would be completely deleted, generating much more distrust.

While it is true that this has not been officially announced, FACEIT is likely preparing to do so. Also, on their Twitter account, FACEIT posted that they would be delaying the launch of their anti-smurf measure a bit, as they wanted to do it when everything was completely ready.

Header: FACEIT