Steam tweaks privacy settings, will soon let you be invisible while online

This week’s Steam update seems to have nuked services like Steam Spy, promising to shut off the flow of publicly available user data. It also added a few new option to the profile tab, all with a eye toward giving users more control over the information they share online. A post issued late Tuesday also said that Valve’s planning on implementing a new presence mode that would allow users to be invisible while still staying online.

If you play games on PC you’ve likely signed up for a Steam account. But, if you’re like most users, you probably didn’t pay much attention to the privacy settings at the time. Truth be told, they were pretty limited. That changes today.

Valve

The Steam platform update added quite a bit of granularity to the Profile Privacy Settings Page, all of which is helpfully explained as you toggle between each setting. It also adds control over who can see details on the game you’ve played. That includes access to the games you’ve purchased or added to your wish list, achievements you’ve unlocked and your total playtime. It also gives you control of whether or not you’re flagged as being “in-game” when you start playing a given title.

Essentially, these new settings allow you to be online and be visible to your friends or the public at large without blabbing about how you’re spending your time. I imagine that’s useful if you’re a fan of content that some might find objectionable. Your mileage will vary.

The post also mentions that an “invisible” setting will be added in the near future. That will allow you to remain online and connected to essential Steam services while appearing offline. It’s a feature that has been available on platforms like Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Battle.net.

These changes are a welcome addition to the platform. Be sure to update your settings when you get the chance.