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What does donating Steam API do?

  • snalgaesnalgae56,871
    Posted on 07 September 24 at 06:50
    On opening the site I've been getting a notification:
    "Donate Steam API Key
    Donate your Steam API key for one of our achievement scanners and get a Site Super Promotor badge" with a field to paste it and a link for a way to find a Steam Web API key
    And I just consider this off?
    I don't really know much about how the key can be used, considering there weren't any problems with my achievements being scanned, so maybe this website got hacked or something?
    I'm concerned
  • FlitsuneFlitsune39,097
    Posted on 07 September 24 at 12:16, Edited on 08 September 24 at 17:39 by Flitsune
    As part of the ongoing process of making the TSA scanners faster and more reliable, we need to collect some more steam API keys.
    That is what the dev say on discord, so basically you get a Special yellow badge and improve the scanner.
  • CathartisCathartis193,045
    Posted on 07 September 24 at 18:20
    I won't be donating mine. The site shouldn't need it, and from what I understand the key could be very useful to scammers. Given I don't have 100% faith in the security of sites such as this one, I'm not going to give them valuable information.
  • FloodSpectreFloodSpectre138,994
    Posted on 08 September 24 at 14:28
    Absolutely do NOT share your API key with any site, ever.
  • Posted on 10 September 24 at 11:56
    Yeah that pop-up was very alarming. If it had any explanation whatsoever or a link to a forum thread, blog post, or frankly anything that wasn't just "paste your API here pls" it might have caught my attention.

    But everything about that screamed security breach.
  • Posted on 11 September 24 at 12:43
    Hi there

    We need to use Steam API keys in our achievement and game scanners to track your gameplay and pull in your play time and unlocks.

    These keys have a very low call limit per hour (set by Valve), so we have to rotate around lots of keys to scan everyone every day.

    Some of the people that kindly donated their keys previously have since removed them, and we have been running short, to the point where at times we haven't been able to scan anyone.

    By donating your Steam API key to the site, we have a larger pool of keys to cycle around, and we can scan people faster.

    There is nothing nefarious in this, all steam tracking sites do the same, and there is no security breach.

    I apologise for not posting more information on this before we introduced the new badge for it, I didn't realise it would come across as suspicious to some people.

    If you decide to donate your API key to the cause, thank you on behalf of the TSA community!
  • Posted on 12 September 24 at 08:53
    Just looked at the terms of service you agree to in order to get this key.
    I can see the low call limit:
    You are limited to one hundred thousand (100,000) calls to the Steam Web API per day.
    But also on the same page:
    You agree to keep your Steam Web API key confidential, and not to share it with any third party. This license is personal to you and specific to your Application. You agree that you will be personally responsible for the use of your Steam Web API key.
    TSA is a third party, so in order to get this badge, you have to break the ToS.

    Source: https://steamcommunity.com/dev/apiterms
  • TracerHDTracerHD80,216
    Posted on 31 October 24 at 16:44
    Yeah, not happening.
  • IntensoFOXIntensoFOX41,380
    Posted on 01 November 24 at 07:40
    I've already done my part! I donated the API key
    Xbox Live, Steam, Playstation Network, Google Play Games add me IntensoFOX! https://www.exophase.com/user/intensofox/
  • J_PinderJ_Pinder9,767
    Posted on 15 November 24 at 06:36
    Would it be possible to make a few dummy accounts, which could then obtain more API keys?
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