Ubisoft flushes user contact emails in response to Watch Dogs marketing gaffe

Ubisoft was left red-faced after they accidentally leaked the email addresses of all the users who were savvy enough to find a promotional site for the upcoming action-adventure title, Watch Dogs, hidden via QR code in the game's lengthy E3 trailer.  The publisher earlier today informed all participants (by email, appropriately enough) that they will remove all user email addresses from their marketing database as a safety precaution following their mistake.

Users who found the Watch Dogs marketing site were asked to provide their emails to receive themed updates, including a fake email which informed participants of the death of in-game character Joseph Demarco (whom you might remember as the poor sap from the trailer).  Problem was, the email was CC'ed to all the users on the mailing list, meaning anyone receiving the email would be able to see the email addresses of everyone else who signed up on the list.  Obviously the better solution here would have been to BCC all the users instead.  You know, like a normal newsletter.

The damage has been done, and Ubisoft has since admitted that they were gathering user contact info "without following proper privacy guidelines and procedures."  Oh the irony, considering Watch Dogs' themes and plot.  The publisher is still providing users the opportunity to receive future Watch Dogs updates by, of course, signing up for a Uplay account.