Hey everyone! I'm pretty new to gaming on PC and have recently started playing FragPunk. I've come across some concerns regarding it using kernel level anti-cheat, especially since it's developed by a Chinese company, NetEase. Should I be worried about having this type of anti-cheat running on my system? If it's a concern, how would I go about removing it? Thanks for any help!
4 Answers
You don’t need to stress too much about kernel level anti-cheat for now. Microsoft is making some changes that might limit this kind of access in the future. But if you want to play most popular games like League of Legends or Valorant, you’ll need to have this anti-cheat installed. Not having it could get you banned because it looks like you’re cheating. Recently, there was a game that had a bad experience with anti-cheat, but that was an exception. TL;DR - Right now, just relax about the kernel level stuff; it's not a major threat to your data.
A lot of the criticism around kernel level anti-cheat is about companies needing too much access to our personal devices and the risk of data misuse. But honestly, they mainly want ad data that they already have. If you're really concerned about surveillance, kernel level anti-cheat won't be your biggest worry.
The idea that companies already have enough data about you and therefore wont steal more of your data sounds kinda of iffy to me. Thats the same logic as billionaires can trusted with our tax money because they already have lots of money therefore they cant be greedy.
Many gamers really dislike kernel level anti-cheat because it can be resource-heavy and buggy. But really, it boils down to whether you want to play the game or not.
There’s not much you can do if you want to play the game; the anti-cheat just runs with it. The only way to avoid it is to uninstall the game. There have been worse cases with user-level anti-cheat, but kernel level ones usually get patched quickly if issues arise. For FragPunk, some folks mention removing specific system files, but I can't confirm that. Research first if you're considering it, as it varies by anti-cheat system.
So I'm just being paranoid?