Blizzard sued over 'hidden fees' attached to personal data security

Blizzard is being sued on accusations that the company is not taking proper steps to effectively secure players' private information, reports Courthouse News.

Lead plaintiff Benjamin Bell says that Blizzard makes players purchase Battle.net Authenticators "in order to have even minimal protection for their sensitive personal, private, and financial data" rather than taking the necessary security measures internally, resulting in hidden fees.

The suit cites a May incident in which Blizzard acknowledged an increase in account breaches as well as Battle.net being hacked in August as proof of security negligence. It also accuses the company of fraud and "unjust enrichment" by requiring players to enter personal and financial information into Battle.net accounts in order to play the company's games.

Bell says that by locking in the Authenticator as the best way to secure accounts, Blizzard has essentially added these hidden cost to their games. He believes the company has made around $26 million in revenue by selling the Authenticators.

Bell is asking for class damages, as well as that Blizzard cease the use of Battle.net accounts on its titles that are not MMORPGS and stop "tacking on additional, undisclosed costs to ensure security in the form of a post-point-of-sale Authenticator."

Polygon has reached out to Blizzard for comment and will update this story with more information as we have it.