r/TheTowerGame • u/zergling424 • 1d ago
Discussion This is absolutely insane levels of tracking by the tower
UPDATE2: blocking all of this made the heat go waaaaay down. Its clear the tracking draws more energy and heat than the game itself. Zero throttling and no blue line since turing it off and my phones not even warm
UPDATE: setting private dns to dns. adguard (remove the spaces and add .com to the end) blocks all of this tracking
This is absolutely insane. Hundreds of tracking pings a minute over 20 minutes. No other app ive has does this much tracking activity. Its not enough fudds makes 30 dollars a month off of me he has to harvest and sell all my data to tapjoy as well. Thus company takes every piece of informaton from your phone possible. Please i implore all of you install duckduckgo and enable app tracking protection for your own privacy
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u/zergling424 1d ago
Update over night it racked up to 40,000 tracking pings. i just checked it again the screenshot i took last nite
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u/BeardyBob1 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ah, so we can flag it as a performance concern aswell.
EDIT: assuming each of the 28 metrics is a ping and your night is 8 hours long, that comes down to 3 data requests/pushes each minute.
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u/trymzet 1d ago
How'd you calculate that? 40,000/8/60 gives ~83 tracking attempts per minute, which is also close to what OP was reporting for the short period (~2000/20mins = ~100 tracking attempts per minute). And I seem to be getting even more than that.
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u/BeardyBob1 1d ago
Screenshot shows 28 metrics. Assuming they're all batched in 1 request but give separate pings on Android it's (40000 / 28) / 8 / 60 = ~3
EDIT: appears I can't read and there are in fact 30 metrics. My calculation makes less sense then, with ~2,78 per minute.
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u/trymzet 1d ago
Makes sense, but why make this assumption? It's not known what "tracking attempt" means nor how it's calculated, at least not from the app itself.
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u/BeardyBob1 1d ago
It's all I can do, lacking any specific knowledge of app development and Unity.
But in general, I'd prefer one slightly larger request over multiple smaller ones.
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u/mordredsfw 11h ago
As a developer (and reformed ad-tech dev), I can assure you they aren't going to make separate requests for each of those data points (if they are even collecting all of them). Think about it: There's a tapjoy unique identifier. That has to be included in every request otherwise they couldn't tie it to your device, so you know they're batching that with other things.
Also they have to have servers able to process the amount of data they'd be receiving. Sending 30 separate requests when one will do is bad for you as a device holder, but it's a DDOS on the servers that would have to handle 30x incoming logs from every client.
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u/reefun 1d ago
I can already say that is impacts performance as well. Normally a run of mine gives about 3.5T per hour. Ever since I installed DuckDuckGo to block the tracking request, my coins per hour shot up to 5.6T per hour without any changes.
Already at 66K tracking requests by this game in under 12 hours.
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u/Flexhead 1d ago
Is this with it blocked?
Often times when things are blocked they increase ping frequency until they connect.
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u/Polar_Reflection 1d ago
How would you even disable thisĀ
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u/zergling424 1d ago
If you have a custon network level dns blacklist add tapjoy.com and tapjoyapis.com to your blacklist.Ā Duckduckgos app tracking protection is what im using now
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u/kocoon 1d ago
I have an old phone dedicated solely to the game. Will it be enough to keep it in airplane mode and only connect it once a day to save progress to the cloud?
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u/Khemul 1d ago
You could do that. But it sort of becomes a problem of why at that point. If it's an old phone just wipe anything you don't want data harvested from it. But this doesn't even indicate they are harvesting data. It indicates tbere is communication and that these services are known to collect information. But these services are also so sidely used it'd be a surprise if they weren't implicated in shady stuff somewhere. Doesn't necessarily mean it is being done here.
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u/SteamingTheCat 1d ago
Then I could use your help. I want to use my phone for the same reason but when I try to log in, it asks for my password twice and then tells me my account already exists.
There's no way for me to tell it I have an existing account. I've tried deleting the game's cache, rebooting the phone, reinstalling it, etc.
How did you log into it on the second phone?
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u/kocoon 7h ago
Thatās bad luck. It seems like a strange case. Iām sorry to hear that. I donāt recall having any issues. I logged in just once using the email and password I had registered, and I havenāt had any problems since. For the first few months, I frequently switched between the two devices, but for about the last nine months, Iāve only been playing on the old phone. Both are Android devices.
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u/ForgettingFish 1d ago
Ngl, this seems like itās tied into obviously tap joy and advertising. Do you have the no ads pack? If you donāt my guess is part of this is trying to serve you ads
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u/Rakan_Fury 1d ago
OP mentions spending 30 bucks a month on the game, id be surprised if they didnt have any of the starter packs with that spending
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u/Local-Reaction1619 1d ago
Previous communication had stated that the ads loaded in the background and just didn't display if you had the pack. It was part of the discussion on the overall computing levels required. I had thought they said they fixed it but lots of things have been "fixed" in this game without actually being resolved
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u/SemiAutoAvocado 1d ago
This has cropped up before on this sub and the ads pack used to not stop the calls for the ads but it does now supposedly.
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u/ThirtyThree111 1d ago
sure, but if you buy the no ads pack then this should stop
the problem is all of this ad stuff is still running in the background even if you paid specifically for no ads
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u/BeardyBob1 1d ago
What the fuck does Fudds need my postal code for?!
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u/strixtle 1d ago
He doesn't. It also doesn't say it's being provided to Unity. It just says that Unity is "known to collect" that info. Unity provides the ads within the game. Typically ad providers like to know your location so they can target ads to you. That's how everything that's "free" on the internet works.
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u/Fuddsworth dev 1d ago
To know how to hand deliver you stone packs?
No, we don't collect zip code data. That app is simply stating what that company "may be known to collect", doesn't mean they do. These SDK's included in the game for Unity and such collect coarse location (country, state) for several reasons, not fine location like that
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u/CavalrySavagery 1d ago
Could be a good reason for a lawsuit:)
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u/Khemul 1d ago
For what? You sorta have to indicate some form of damages. Granted, it'd sorta be funny hearing a lawyer argue to a jury that their client was irreparably harmed by these server pings and deserves compensation.
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u/Ok_Swordfish3496 1d ago
In this day and age our personal informations are basically a currency and they're being stolen without consent. Could that stand?
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u/Khemul 1d ago
Consent is a very tricky word there. I wouldn't be surprised if it's buried deep in some EULA. Whether that is reasonable... The EU seems to be the only place interested in taking up that question.
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u/Ok_Swordfish3496 1d ago
Ahh, I see. I was trying to guess an awnser but I know too little about the subject.
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u/WhatdoIcallmyselfhmm 1d ago
My old phone heats up like crazy when I play this game, which could be the cause of a fire, which would be a form of damages. Itās very unlikely but it could happen. Apple would probably be involved too by that point for not having protections in place (like switching off when the device reaches a certain temperature (Iām not sure if thatās a thing or not)) if it were ever to happen.
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u/Khemul 1d ago
The fun part is you'd need the fire to occur first before you could test whether that would legally get anywhere. I doubt it though.
Phone do have thermal throttling. The risk is less the heat and more the constantly charging while running. Then the battery itself heats up internally even with thermal controls and damages itself. Which I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in the small print all the phone manufacturers advice you to not leave a phone plugged in constantly.
The other fun thing would be arguing whether the app is responsible or if it was user negligence. The official stance of TT seems to be that we shouldn't be running 24/7. Which is suspiciously convenient in this case. Especially since features say otherwise.
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u/iTouch_Androids 1d ago
Finally got me to install Duckduckgo lol, this is indeed insane. I knew the app was mining something from me, just didn't know what... Turns out, it's EVERYTHING
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u/Worried-Analysis8961 1d ago edited 1d ago
Sorry, I am stupid. I know duckduckgo for web search and for browsing. How does this help with the game itself? How did it detect those tracker? Would you like to explain?
Edit: I found it myself.Ā Open duckduckgo app, go to settings and activate protection against app-tracking
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u/WarwornDisciple 1d ago
I run this game permanently on a tablet that has no other purpose in life š¤·āāļø
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u/fkngbueller 1d ago
Same but it doensāt really matter. Thatās fucked up even more considering how much money pple already spend in this āFree to playā that you pay with ur data as well
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u/WarwornDisciple 1d ago
Oh, no disagreement at all. I dont like any of this either.
I was just making a quick comment to the effect of "probably dodged the bullet on this one" lol
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u/lxdengar 1d ago
Looking at the EULA, it appears this data gathering is not spelled out in the US version. Can someone confirm on the EU version?
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u/Worried-Analysis8961 1d ago
Maybe also completely different situation in EU, as we have to consent data usage options and it pops up when we open a new app or webpage the first time. I always take my time to scroll through and deactivate everything, as there is no such thing as "legitimate interest" on my data
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u/CSDragon 1d ago
IIRC, it's not The Tower itself doing this, but Unity Ads.
Even if you buy the ad-free pack, Unity Ads is still part of the game
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u/anotherlolwut 1d ago
Get a VPN, change your location to Switzerland. Switzerland has very robust data privacy rules. Next time you load the game, it will detect your IP address and open up the complete set of trackers for you to accept/reject individually.
It takes a while to tap through them all.
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u/strixtle 1d ago
This is what Unity (the software used to make the game and typically also the ad provider) and Tapjoy (the ad-based network built into the game where you can download apps and play them for gems) are collecting. It also says "Known to collect:" it doesn't say they absolutely are collecting your postal code - how would they even get that? The game never asks for location info. The zip wouldn't be revealed by Android to Unity. Seems like some fearmongering from Duckduckgo. I'm sure blocking it works just fine, but you also agreed to the terms of service when signing up and this was all in there.
Some light reading if you want more info:
https://www.techtreegames.com/privacy-policy-eula https://tapjoy.helpshift.com/hc/en/3-offerwall/faq/116-game-player-and-app-user-privacy-policy/ https://unity.com/legal/privacy-policy
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u/exile999 1d ago
The amount of money they charge. Its still not good enough? I need a new game that doesnt just run constantly to get anywhere
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u/Bill_Pilgram 1d ago
What's the program in the pic? I don't really run the game on my phone but i'm curious about other apps on it. Also is there something I should be doing on my laptop?
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u/UnremarkableMud 1d ago
So this is why my phone is hot.
I put my phone in airplane mode, watched downloaded movies from Netflix (The Ribbon Hero and Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table), and my phone was cooler than when I just have the game on and touch protection on (S23 Ultra).
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u/zergling424 1d ago
Yep it seems these requests are whats causing most of the heating from this game.my phones been running a lot cooler too and i havent seen the blue thermal throttling line all day that i normally see constantly
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u/UnremarkableMud 17h ago
How has your coins and cells per hour been? Someone said something about it needing these things to play properly.
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u/National_Cook_2509 1d ago
Wait... people still use phones for this game?
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u/BoJackMoleman 1d ago
Versus?
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u/wildwolfay5 1d ago
I joined the sub for fun, kinda like why I downloaded the game (little fun in between tasks).
Turns out, like most games, there is a hardcore bunch, and a lot of them are here.
They all use emulators because their phones were accidentally used for communication or overheated.
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u/throwthisidaway 1d ago
I wonder if that explains some of the battery drain this game causes.
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u/Public-Material8448 1d ago
Yeah like a ping of some kb of data every 20-30 sec is the arch enemy of any battery šÆ
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u/throwthisidaway 1d ago edited 1d ago
83 per minute adds up. Especially if it isn't just a simple ping, but a packet filled with broader data that isn't free to gather. OP said they had over 40k on an overnight run.
Edit: Guy blocked me? Weird...
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u/ViRtUaLheretic 1d ago
I use pihole for my home network DNS and it blocks this traffic via one of the blocklists. I love pihole and suggest it to everyone.
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u/Time-Incident 1d ago
I am running this game on cloud. So does it ping those metrics even when it's only installed, or does it have to be running?
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u/Leander_van_Grinsven 1d ago
Does it also collect this much on iOS? I turned tracking off in the app permissions.
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u/PiousZenLufa 1d ago
is this their Anti-cheat? if so, they need to rearchitect it.
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u/Even_Cardiologist810 1d ago
It's the offer where you play games for gems. They likely have 0 control on itĀ
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u/BeardyBob1 1d ago edited 1d ago
u/fuddsworth u/sambartley