If it's not stated on the packaging that it will instal secret things into your computer, and make contact with a server over the internet, they can look forward to action by certain governments, such as California did with the Sony rootkit.   I for one will not purchase anything that requires activation any more complex than typing in a CD key, nor will i have anything to do with software that disrupts my computer.   Now, its just a matter of waiting for the bootleggers to produce a clean version of the game.