Final Fantasy 14 updates blacklisting system for privacy

Final Fantasy 14 is set to release patch 7.2 soon, which includes important changes to its blacklisting system. The update comes after a serious mistake allowed stalkers to access account information through mods. Earlier this year, players discovered that the game's update meant to improve player safety actually exposed account IDs. This vulnerability raised concerns, as it could lead to unwanted tracking of players' alternate characters. In response, Square Enix announced a "slate clean" reset for account IDs. The preliminary patch notes state that this reset aims to prevent the identification of account IDs that are not shown in-game. Square Enix apologized for any inconvenience this may cause. The company has also stated that while blacklisted names will not be visible anymore, the blacklist feature still functions. Players can see their blacklisted characters as "Character name could not be retrieved." To see the names again, players must remove and re-add these characters to their blacklist. Additionally, characters registered as contacts before the update cannot be blacklisted through the mute list. This change means players will not be able to restrict certain contacts using this feature anymore. It remains uncertain if these changes fully resolve the previous issue. The initial flaw was significant and could have already caused harm. Although the update is a positive step, some players feel it would have been better if the problem had never occurred.