关于 Penguin Domination 🐧

Spyware in games? No thanks!

This group focuses on the technical examination of software behavior in games and related platforms. Evaluations include the use of telemetry, analytics services, cloud storage systems, always-online requirements, and third-party integrations. Particular attention is paid to how data is collected, stored, processed, transmitted and how this affects functionality in offline or restricted network environments.

The reviews refer to established transparency and data protection standards, including the GDPR. All findings are based on observable network activity, client-side behavior, documented infrastructure components and publicly available technical evidence.

Review Criteria and Corrections

No assessments are made regarding entertainment value, gameplay experience or personal preference. The focus is on verifiable technical characteristics and their practical implications for users and developers.

Developers may provide technical documentation or clarification. Verified corrections and transparent implementation details are incorporated into the database and review summaries.

What does the group provide?

Technical analyses of data collection, telemetry, cloud systems, and network dependencies in games and clients.
Documentation of third-party service integrations and data processing workflows.
Guides and reference materials for configuring privacy tools, network controls, and host-based filtering.
Discussion of transparency standards, data protection regulations, and industry practices.
Resources to support informed decisions regarding software behavior and data flows.

Key Resources / Repository

Project Website[www.gameindustry.eu]
Additional documentation, steam tools, guides, reviews, hosts lists, database and technical reference

GitHub Repository[github.com]
Hosts files mirror

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近期公告

2025 Project Overview, Statistics and hibernation

12 月 4 日 - ペンギン | 1 条留言

As the year slowly draws to a close and I was thinking about how to present you a summary of the current year and I came up with the idea of adding a statistics section[gameindustry.eu]to the project page.

There you now have the opportunity to quickly and clearly see what has happened or what has been added recently, both for the current year and retroactively.

First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who has remained loyal to the group for a long time, as well as the members who joined us during the year and with whom i have exchanged ideas.

In 2025, a total of 275 people joined the group. 220 are still in the group today, while 78 have left. Of those, 23 of them were members of Penguin Domination only for a short time.

--

As the GameIndustry has evolved over the years in line with changing requirements, some entries are still marked with an invalid (placeholder) date. A date field for new and edited product entries was only introduced in 2021. I will correct these dates retroactively where possible (currently around 600 entries). In addition, there are still around 900 descriptions missing for game and software publisher, both in German and English.

The statistics do not include things like technical changes to the project page, even though they require a lot of work and time. You can also follow many details via the recent changes[gameindustry.eu] section. Various RSS feeds[gameindustry.eu] are also available to help you stay up to date. The group also has its own RSS function for announcements

Recent technical changes include, for example, a revision of the entire basic page structure and design, many textual content and database queries, which among other things results in performance improvements.

There have also been many small "quality-of-life" updates such as navigation aids, overlays, improvements to the responsive layout (mobile view), the technology section, the Steam library export function, product genres, the recently added privacy badge and the new autocomplete feature in the search.

Some of these are still in a testing phase and much more is planned.

In addition, as already communicated via artworks and status updates/announcements, own software projects are being further developed step by step, such as the latest updates to Steam Cleaner and Hosts Manager. Those who are only here for the reviews will have to continue to deal just with a few entries per year.

Updates to the filter lists are now rarely necessary. On the one hand, most areas are already covered and on the other hand, analyses and updates of this kind are difficult to carry out without compromising convenience and usability.

Suggestions for improvements, feedback and donations[gameindustry.eu] are (unfortunately) still quite rare. However, community feedback and suggestions from the friends list (FL) or via email have already been implemented many times and I hope to be able to continue improving the project with your help.

As you may have read recently, one of the latest successes was the deactivation of unnecessary Google queries in the Steam client.

Here, too, I would like to thank the community members who notified me about strange client behavior and posted my analysis in the beta forum. This made it possible to improve the data sovereignty of millions of Steam users in one fell swoop within a very short time.

There were also negative setbacks, such as the inappropriate insults and lies from the developer DoubleMoose Games and the publisher Focus Entertainment, which is now called PulluP Entertainment. Unfortunately, jurisdiction is unnecessarily complicated.

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You can now access the statistics via the header menu on the project page.

Do you have any wishes for 2026 or suggestions for improvement for the group, reviews or content on the project page? Post them here.

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I will be taking my leave from you for this year, using the time for personal matters and further background work. With that in mind, I wish you all the best. Enjoy the upcoming Steam sale, the holidays, Christmas (for those who celebrate it), and have a wonderful New Year.

11 月 18 日 - ペンギン | 11 条留言

Original Analysis

https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3608562371
After the latest update of the Steam client, an analysis of the network connections shows that a huge part of the infrastructure is now routed through various Google services. Newly appearing in the active connections are components such as Google Optimization, Google Safe Browsing, Google Account and Google Autofill.

Summary of Services

IP Addresses
IPv4: 108
IPv6: 8

Domains
Akamai Technologies: 12
Steamcontent: 8
Google 1e100.net: 77
Valve: 2
FastlyCDN: 2

Google Services

accounts.google.com
content-autofill.googleapis.com
www.google.com
safebrowsing.googleapis.com
optimizationguide-pa.googleapis.com

Functional Description

The requests appear to load technical models and security data. The Google account check verifies whether an account is stored in the local profile without transmitting account information. The Autofill services load model configurations used for detecting form fields. The Optimization Guide retrieves model information for performance and interface optimizations. Safe Browsing updates the local threat lists.

Transmitted Data

IP address, timestamp, TLS data, user agent, accept-language, accept-encoding, origin, host, connection, content-type, content-length, gpsia, source, json, X-Client-Data, key/API key, protobuf payload, X-Goog-Encode-Response-If-Executable, X-Goog-Api-Key, sec-fetch-site, sec-fetch-mode, sec-fetch-dest, request URL, query parameters, X-HTTP-Method-Override, Safe Browsing list IDs, Safe Browsing version states, Safe Browsing hash-range information, Safe Browsing delta-update requests.

Additional Google Infrastructure

steamcloud-ugc.storage.googleapis.com
redirector.gvt1.com
r4---sn-4g5ednks.gvt1.com

"UGC" stands for "User-Generated Content", meaning content uploaded by users is stored in Google Cloud.

The *.gvt domains also belong to Google's infrastructure. They distribute various types of content such as update packages, extensions, media files and advertising videos across multiple platforms.

Chrome Settings in Steam Client

Some settings can be changed/adjusted/disabled in Steam, for example, under

chrome://flags/ for experimental settings such as WebRTC leaks, overlays
chrome://settings/ for privacy settings, cookies
chrome://history/ your browser history in Steam
chrome://device-log/ Log of all connected or disconnected devices

Unfortunately, not the basic behavior...

Edit 1: Valve Statement - November 20, 2025

https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3609251822
A Valve employee has commented on lightwo's thread. The behavior is being reviewed again, and according to their own statement, unnecessary connections are to be reduced. Whether this will be implemented remains to be seen. The Steam client remains under observation.

Source:
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/groups/SteamClientBeta/discussions/3/688615792191756981/#c688615792191838583

Edit 2: Beta Update - November 22, 2025

A new beta update for the Steam client was recently released. With this version, unnecessary Google queries have been disabled.

Beta Version Update:
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/groups/SteamClientBeta/announcements/detail/599669707226744423

Confirmation:
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/groups/SteamClientBeta/discussions/3/688615792191756981/?ctp=2#c688615792191914506

DE

Originalanalyse

https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3608562371
Nach dem jüngsten Update des Steam-Clients zeigt die Analyse der Netzwerkverbindungen, dass ein erheblicher Teil der Infrastruktur nun über verschiedene Google-Dienste abgewickelt wird. In den aktiven Verbindungen erscheinen neuerdings Komponenten wie Google Optimization, Google Safe Browsing, Google Accounts und Google Autofill.

Summierung der Dienste

IP-Adressen
IPv4: 108
IPv6: 8

Domänen
Akamai Technologies: 12
Steamcontent: 8
Google 1e100.net: 77
Valve: 2
FastlyCDN: 2

Google-Dienste

accounts.google.com
content-autofill.googleapis.com
www.google.com
safebrowsing.googleapis.com
optimizationguide-pa.googleapis.com

Funktionsbeschreibung

Die Anfragen dienen soweit ersichtlich dem Nachladen technischer Modelle und Sicherheitsdaten. Die Google-Kontoabfrage überprüft, ob ein Konto im lokalen Profil hinterlegt ist, ohne Kontoinformationen zu übertragen. Die Autofill-Dienste laden Modellkonfigurationen, die zur Erkennung von Formularfeldern dienen. Der Optimization Guide bezieht Modellinformationen für Leistungs- und Interface-Optimierungen. Safe Browsing aktualisiert die lokalen Gefährdungslisten.

Übertragene Daten

IP-Adresse, Zeitstempel, TLS-Daten, User-Agent, Accept-Language, Accept-Encoding, Origin, Host, Connection, Content-Type, Content-Length, gpsia, source, json, X-Client-Data, key/API-Key, Protobuf-Nutzlast, X-Goog-Encode-Response-If-Executable, X-Goog-Api-Key, Sec-Fetch-Site, Sec-Fetch-Mode, Sec-Fetch-Dest, Request-URL, Query-Parameter, X-HTTP-Method-Override, Safe-Browsing-Listen-IDs, Safe-Browsing-Versionsstände, Safe-Browsing-Hash-Range-Informationen, Safe-Browsing-Deltaupdate-Anforderung.

Zusätzliche Google-Infrastruktur

steamcloud-ugc.storage.googleapis.com
redirector.gvt1.com
r4---sn-4g5ednks.gvt1.com

"UGC" steht für "User-Generated-Content", kurz, Dinge die Anwender hochladen, landet in der Google-Cloud.

Die *.gvt Domains gehören ebenfalls zur Google-Infrastruktur. Sie verteilen verschiedene Inhalte wie Update-Pakete, Erweiterungen, Mediendateien und auch Werbevideos auf zahlreichen Plattformen.

Chrome-Einstellungen im Steam Client

Einige Einstellungen können in Steam geändert/angepasst werden, zum Beispiel unter

chrome://flags/ für experimentelle Einstellungen wie WebRTC-Lecks, Overlays
chrome://settings/ für Datenschutzeinstellungen, Cookies
chrome://history/ euer Browserverlauf in Steam
chrome://device-log/ Log von allen angeschlossenen oder getrennten Geräten

Leider nicht das grundlegende Verhalten...

Edit 1: Valve-Stellungnahme - 20. November 2025

https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3609251822
Ein Mitarbeiter von Valve hat sich im Thread von lightwo geäußert. Das Verhalten wird erneut geprüft, und nach eigener Aussage sollen unnötige Verbindungen reduziert werden. Ob dies umgesetzt wird, ist offen. Der Steam-Client bleibt weiterhin unter Beobachtung.

Quelle:
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/groups/SteamClientBeta/discussions/3/688615792191756981/#c688615792191838583

Edit 2: Beta-Update - 22. November 2025

Vor kurzem wurde ein neues Beta-Update für den Steam-Client veröffentlicht. Mit dieser Version wurden unnötige Google-Abfragen deaktiviert.

Beta-Version-Update:
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/groups/SteamClientBeta/announcements/detail/599669707226744423

Bestätigung:
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/groups/SteamClientBeta/discussions/3/688615792191756981/?ctp=2#c688615792191914506

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Penguin Domination 🐧 的评测

"Analyze software behavior, data handling, telemetry, cloud dependencies, network requirements, offline functionality. Technical assessments, not gameplay reviews."

这些是 Penguin Domination 🐧 最近撰写的评测

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332 条留言

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ペンギン

12 月 21 日下午 4:04

@White ⁧⁧Wolf
To get all involved up-to-date locations for SDR, see as example for PlanetCrafter

https://psteamapi.yuanyoumao.com/ISteamApps/GetSDRConfig/v1?appid=1284190

Replace the AppID at the end with your game. You can extract those ipv4 direct connections and add them in a firewall of your choice.

A pre-prepared list with ports and backends is available for download here.
https://gameindustry.eu/tech/steamsdr/

Blocking is only recommended to a limited extent. Similar to Epic Games EOS, many single-player titles actively run the service in the background without adding any user value, but there are just as many titles that rely on SDR for multiplayer functions, statistics, etc. If you block one, you block everything.

@Dark_Presense
Currently there are no product tests since I'm basically on winter break. But I'll make a note of it.

White ⁧⁧Wolf 12 月 21 日上午 8:53

Does anyone know how to block/disable the Steam Datagram Relay(SDR)? Even though I block all games with a firewall by default, some of them connect through Steam and I am appearing/listed as 'online' in those games.

Dark_Presence 12 月 16 日上午 10:17

Can someone take a look at the new MMO Pioner ?

ペンギン

10 月 23 日下午 11:37

Some of you may be familiar with the VueScan scanner software from home use. A review of the software has been published on https://gameindustry.eu/reviews/vuescan/

Please note that this is not a Steam review, but in the usual quality. Together with the corresponding host entries.

ペンギン

4 月 20 日上午 11:05

The review for "The Quarry" by 2K has been updated today, as a lot has changed since the initial review and most of the criticized connections and product mechanics have become obsolete.

The link is available through the curation page of the updated products or directly at https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/id/pen-chan/recommended/1577120

The connection overview on the project page has also been updated. Host details will follow in the next update.

ペンギン

2 月 20 日上午 12:11

Since users are also restricted by geo-blocking within group curation, here is the current review of Horny Villa. Alternatively, on the project page with additional information.

Da Anwender selbst innerhalb der Gruppenkuration mit Geoblockaden gegängelt werden, hier das aktuelle Review zu Horny Villa. Wahlweise auf der Projektseite mit weiteren Informationen.

https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/id/penginmaru/recommended/2903690/
https://gameindustry.eu/reviews/horny-villa/

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