we collect the information that you provide by entering it into certain Service features. For example, when you want to post in a forum, you provide us the content for the post (which could contain PI which we collect and then display for you on the forum). Likewise, when you use other features such as voice or text messaging, blogs, surveys, user-generated content, activity streams, or social media, we may first collect the information you enter into the feature.
We may also automatically or passively collect information about your use of our Services, see the sub-sections below for a list of categories by sources of such information.
Each time you use a PlayStation console or a PlayStation app on a PlayStation console or other devices (such as a mobile phone or PC), we may automatically collect information about your use of that device and app. If you sign into an Account, we may combine it with other information we have for that Account.
The information that we collect from devices may include: Device identifiers such as your PlayStation console ID, mobile device IDs, cookie IDs, or serial numbers, Network identifiers such as your IP address and MAC address
We may receive information, including the following, from third party sources and combine it with information we already directly collect from you. We will handle the information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Game, social media, or other information, from those third parties or services you link your Account with
Marketing and Advertising: We may target and personalize our marketing communications, purchase recommendations and advertisements that we display on our and third-party websites and services based on the information we have collected about you.
The list just goes on here, but to boil it down: Sony wants dat sweet sweet data.
JFC the web has gotten really bad with people that don't know anything spreading confident misinformation.
The terms there are related to Sony's own advertising through their own ad services on PS5 and partner publisher stores like Ubisoft connect. Things like when you see a sponsored link to a game in their store section.
The third party data sharing is things like "X number of people saw the ad, Y number of people clicked through, Z number of people bought it" or "only 12% of the people who played Baldur's Gate 3 interacted with your ad but 46% of the people who bought CoD III interacted with it."
Major ad networks like Google or Microsoft or Meta aren't going to pay Sony shit for the data that "your throwaway email you used to sign up for PSN is linked to your steam account's Helldivers 2 activity where you killed 8 bile titans last night." That data is just way more noise than signal and no one cares.
What Sony does care about are things like the number of people who have already signed up for PSN lowering friction for other associated services next time, or legit things like they said about centrally managing bans and account management on the provider side.
Even things like friends lists and connections are extremely valuable, so that as Sony moves more into multiplayer gaming a user who was adding friends in Helldivers 2 on Steam has those same relationships in Helldivers 3 on PS5 or through a non-Steam store. Because of the degree that social connection management influences things like PlayStation/Xbox/PC purchase preferences for games, that right there is way more valuable to them than what you think they are after, which is pretty much worthless outside of PS5 in-UI ad usage.
So yes, it's about data. But not the data or partners you think.
JFC the web has gotten really bad with people that don't know anything spreading confident misinformation.
The third party data sharing is things like "X number of people saw the ad, Y number of people clicked through, Z number of people bought it" or "only 12% of the people who played Baldur's Gate 3 interacted with your ad but 46% of the people who bought CoD III interacted with it."
Where are you getting this information from?
Major ad networks like Google or Microsoft or Meta aren't going to pay Sony shit for the data that "your throwaway email you used to sign up for PSN
You assume that everyone is using throwaway accounts, which is a dubious claim. Most everyone creates accounts with their personal information without a second thought.
they collect your IP address when you connect to their servers?
You're intentionally misrepresenting the situation. They're collecting a myriad of data, likely literally anything they can legally get away with, selling it to advertisers, and using it to serve you ads.
So does literally every website you visit and every game service you use. Anyone who's ever had a PlayStation has a PSN account, and I've never been served an ad directly from PlayStation. So I don't understand what you think is happening...
I just don't get my panties in a bunch because the butthurt mob told me to.
It is incredibly common for games to require you to use their gaming service for crossplays. I'm actually more surprised that they didn't require it from the beginning.
I'll just login to my preexisting PSN account and continue on with my day.