WotC may have sent the Pinkertons to a magic leakers home. Update: WotC confirms it and has a response.

[BrokenTwin]

Spoken like someone doubling down!

Good to know you are quickly making something up.

Wouldn't it be weird if someone who has given multiple different accounts of how he received the cards, and who has an entire schtick of "being an online presence," might be exaggerating or lying for clicks?

A Wizards of the Coast spokesperson confirmed to Polygon and Kotaku that the company sent the private security firm to Oldschoolmtg as “part of their investigation” into the leak. The YouTuber says the contact they spoke to at Wizards of the Coast offered to send them free products as compensation for what had happened. For what it’s worth, his YouTube viewership has also doubled since the original video went up.

It truly is awesome to see everyone rally to the defense of people who knowingly deal in stolen products, because ... you know, that's all ethical, but actually asking for the return of those products is BEYOND THE PALE, even when someone is compensated for it.

Great look.

You are putting way too much stock in how much I care about this. Using the pinkertons was heavy-handed and a surefire way to generate bad PR, because that's exactly what happened. Two wrongs (the alleged theft of the merchandise) don't make a right.

If anything, I'm more annoyed that you keep bringing up all the other companies doing terrible stuff whenever Hasbro gets flack. This isn't a forum to talk about the outright horrific things Nestle has done, it's a forum to talk about imaginary elf games and the people who make and play them. I don't talk about that stuff here, because here isn't the place for it. That doesn't mean I don't care about it or advocate for change in my real life.

 

[MGibster]

How many of you have thought about the Pinkertons ... sorry, the Pinkertons ... and can actually say anything about them in the last 100 years without googling them? Really? I know that someone out there does, but I am quite positive that the majority of you who are so dead set on saying BUT THE PINKERTONS have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

Me. But that might be unfair because I largely concentrated my graduate studies on American history from 1877-1939. Supposedly we get the phrase private eye for private detectives from their logo which was an all seeing eye. The Pinkertons do have a history, but you're right, they're not the same company in 2023 that they were in 1893.

Also this isn't just about Pinkerton. People don't like being spied on by companies.

Are you kidding? With the popularity of Tik-Tok and Amazon's Alexa, I think we're perfectly happy being spied on by companies.

And yeah, the more you look into it, the more the dude's story has changed. I'm not so sure WotC is the bad guy here.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

You are putting way too much stock in how much I care about this. Using the pinkertons was heavy-handed and a surefire way to generate bad PR, because that's exactly what happened. Two wrongs (the alleged theft of the merchandise) don't make a right.

If anything, I'm more annoyed that you keep bringing up all the other companies doing terrible stuff whenever Hasbro gets flack. This isn't a forum to talk about the outright horrific things Nestle has done, it's a forum to talk about imaginary elf games and the people who make and play them. I don't talk about that stuff here, because here isn't the place for it. That doesn't mean I don't care about it or advocate for change in my real life.

Whenever Hasbro gets flack?

You literally keep emphasizing Pinkertons as if this had some totemic significance for someone who isn't a coal miner in West Virginia over a hundred years ago, or attempting to rob the payroll on a train heading to Cali-for-nie-A!

Not to mention all the supposed experts who couldn't tell you the difference between Black Cube and Booz Allen and Whitehawk Worldwide, and obviously don't know anything other than, "I once heard of Pinkerton, so that means that they are the worst, right?"

PROTIP- No, they aren't.

It would be nice if someone could actually point out the obvious. Someone stole something. Private firm hire to find out who.. Asked for the return. Life moves on.

You are putting way too much stock in how much I care about this. One wrong (the actual theft of the merchandise) makes it wrong, no matter how much you love to trash Hasbro. Perhaps maybe just wait for the guy's story to stop changing at some point before you assign all of your righteous blame?

 

[theCourier]

Corporate simps are unreal, lmao

 

[cranberry]

I don't understand why some people are defending WoTC. (or at least claiming their actions and choices were no big deal)

Wasn't the OGL fiasco a wake up call?...

 

[BrokenTwin]

Whenever Hasbro gets flack?

You literally keep emphasizing Pinkertons as if this had some totemic significance for someone who isn't a coal miner in West Virginia over a hundred years ago, or attempting to rob the payroll on a train heading to Cali-for-nie-A!

Not to mention all the supposed experts who couldn't tell you the difference between Black Cube and Booz Allen and Whitehawk Worldwide, and obviously don't know anything other than, "I once heard of Pinkerton, so that means that they are the worst, right?"

PROTIP- No, they aren't.

It would be nice if someone could actually point out the obvious. Someone stole something. Private firm hire to find out who.. Asked for the return. Life moves on.

You are putting way too much stock in how much I care about this. One wrong (the actual theft of the merchandise) makes it wrong, no matter how much you love to trash Hasbro. Perhaps maybe just wait for the guy's story to stop changing at some point before you assign all of your righteous blame?

I empathized it ONCE, because I was astonished that they didn't see the obvious bad PR that would result from them using them. The bad PR that happened and is happening.

And "love to trash Hasbro"? Besides the OGL debacle, I've been neutral at worst towards the company. I don't know who you're trying to fight, but I suggest you go find them.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Are you kidding? With the popularity of Tik-Tok and Amazon's Alexa, I think we're perfectly happy being spied on by companies.

With Tik tok, I think that’s a fair point but so I also people don’t understand the extent of it (if mostly seems like a platform for young people). I don’t use tik tok and have very big concerns about it. With Alexa I don’t use that device because of that issue but it is also like Facebook where people didn’t learn what was going on fully for some time. However devices spy on us all the time, even though they aren’t supposed to. That doesn’t mean people are okay with it. It is largely just that companies get away with lying and then these things are too deeply imbedded in our homes and society gif people to reverse course

But in many cases, like Facebook and Twitter, not only was it initially unclear, people often felt they had no choice anyways because these platforms are the best public square and you need to be on them for professional and social reasons. Abd they were told you could customize your privacy settings but those changes all the time, privacy policies regularly changed and the settings were hard to figure out (seemingly by design). All these other companies spying on people abd either exploiting their trust if lack of knowledge doesn’t mean people want their privacy violated. all these companies regularly say they won’t misuse the data, that it will be handled in a way that respects privacy but that never seems to be true. I don’t fault people for believing them, I fault the companies for lying

And yeah, the more you look into it, the more the dude's story has changed. I'm not so sure WotC is the bad guy here.

He may be a bad guy, he may be a hero. I don’t follow him or know anything about him (and so don’t like magic). The issue is hiring private investigator and of private security companies to spy on and show up at peoples doors. If a crime was commuted they can do an internal investigation and call the police or press charges. Otherwise it creates a very bad situation when companies use private spying like this. Companies already have way too much power over people and the system in the US. Last thing I want is RPG companies participating in that.

 

[Cadence]

Also this isn't just about Pinkerton. People don't like being spied on by companies

By "spying", do you mean legally following up on a leak of product that shouldn't be out yet that someone who obviously knew it wasn't supposed to be out yet posted all over the internet?

 

[Bedrockgames]

By "spying", do you mean legally following up on a leak of product that shouldn't be out yet that someone who obviously knew it wasn't supposed to be out yet posted all over the internet?

When you hire a detective agency, you are spying. Someone could be doing wrong but this is still a violation of privacy. Abd it is a level of power normal people don’t have the same access to because it’s expensive. WOTC can afford to spy on you through PI’s all the time. But you can’t do the same to them unless you are Bill Gates. Like I said, if there was a crime, they can report it, they can file a lawsuit. But there are reasons this kind of action, especially by a game company, makes people extremely uneasy

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

When you hire a detective agency, you are spying. Someone could be doing wrong but this is still a violation of privacy. Abd it is a level of power normal people don’t have the same access to because it’s expensive. WOTC can afford to spy on you through PI’s all the time. But you can’t do the same to them unless you are Bill Gates. Like I said, if there was a crime, they can report it, they can file a lawsuit. But there are reasons this kind of action, especially by a game company, makes people extremely uneasy

By spying, you mean, "Viewing someone publicly posting that he is in receipt of stolen goods on Youtube in order to get clicks."

I have to say ... if that's spying, then we all better get off Youtube.

....Maybe not a bad idea?


As for the rest, I am somewhat amazed that people are saying, "You know what's bad? Sending the company's agents to ask for the return of the stolen property. In the future, we DEMAND that the corporation initiate legal action, up to and including LAWSUITS and PROESCUTION!"

Because asking for the property back is such a PR hit, but sending people to jail and/or hitting them with all the attorneys is A-OK?