Home abusers will be banned

By GamesIndustry International Published 14 August, 2007

Sony discusses security.

Home boss Peter Edward has told an audience at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival that users consistently abusing the upcoming Home service face having their machines banned and disabled from being used online, GamesIndustry.biz is reporting.

In an admittedly radical but possible step, Edward noted that a serious abuser would "have to move house and buy a new PS3 before they could get online again".

Edward was discussing supervising the Home environment, although Sony doesn't intend to become a "virtual police" force. Instead, it will be providing different areas within Home depending on the age of the user, helping to apply appropriate non-game branding for products such as cigarettes and alcohol.

"Ultimately we know a user's details, we know machine details and we know where they live," said Edward

"If you really feel like you've been abused or that someone has just shown wholly inappropriate behaviour then you are able to complain about it. If you really, really misbehave you can have your console disconnected at a machine level, so you would actually have to move house and buy a new PS3 before you could get online again.

"Clearly that's not something we would want to be doing very often but as a disincentive to mess round too much it's in our power," he admitted.

Rather, Sony expects players to police themselves and other users, taking advantage of various methods for blocking communication with any users that are disruptive.

"It's a hard line to draw because we don't want to be walking around telling everyone off for saying 'bloody' so we've got to strike a balance there," said Edward.

"We're going to be relying on users assessing what's appropriate to them - if they've been subject to behaviour they don't like they can complain about it rather than we walk around as virtual police."

With a presentation featuring potential branding from Durex, Marlboro and Bacardi, Edward said that it's not Sony's intention to offer a sanitised experience, and that more mature gamers can expect to see the same products advertised online as in the real world.

"It's relatively simple to be confident that somebody is over 18. So it's no problem to have areas that are only open to those aged 18 years' and over. We are able to do that quite comprehensively, we have access to the log-in data that they use for the PlayStation Network," offered Edward.

"Undoubtedly there are going to be some things and some brands that we are not going to want to be involved in the environment at any stage.

"But a large proportion of our demographic is over 18 so we will make a point of catering to that demographic - we certainly don't want to dumb everything down to the lowest common denominator," he said.

Keep your eyes glued to GamesIndustry.biz for more Edinburgh Interactive Festival coverage.

Picture of GamesIndustry.

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Comments (80) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Dizzy #1 5 years ago

    Nobody ofc would dare giving false information to Sony. Companies have tried stuff like this for years. Griefers always find ways around it.

    >It's relatively simple to be confident that somebody is over 18

    Are they gonna scan your DNA?
    Edited by Dizzy at 14/08/07 @ 13:47

  • HermitArcader #2 5 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • Bill_Gates_Bitch #3 5 years ago

    Homelol. Sonylol.

  • bioreit #4 5 years ago

    Not too hard to do - if they can do the whole rootkit thing, it's not beyond the realms of possibility of a firmware 'update' talking back to Sony HQ, providing the correct details for a specific machine.

    After all, it's going to have the PSN details tagged to it, so all they have to do is track the machine that has that tag, then order the 'update' to quietly disable certain functionality, and Mr Salisbury becomes a male relative.

    And don't forget that most people are going to have some kind of credit card attached to their PSN account and machine, too.

  • menage #5 5 years ago

    I like abusing my home. It's a mess.

  • Dizzy #6 5 years ago

    "And don't forget that most people are going to have some kind of credit card attached to their PSN account and machine, too. "

    Why?

  • LOLLERS #7 5 years ago

    "Ultimately we know a user's details, we know machine details and we know where they live"

    USERS WILL CONFORM OR BE TERMINATED

  • penhalion #8 5 years ago

    Sony are walking a very dangerous line here. Like their publicity isn't bad enough, now they reveal they can disable a machines functionality at will. Stopping someone connecting to home is one thing. They will find however that crippling a machine requires them to refund the money or provide a new one under consumer law! This falls under the not fit for purpose banner. The box says wi-fi, hard drive etc. etc. Sony then disable wi-fi so the machine no longer conforms to what the consumer purchased end of story.

    Yep smart move there Sony. Perhaps you should learn the law before you speak. Disable access to a provided service? Yes perfectly legal as the service doesn't come with the machine. Disable part of the machine? No. You sold the user the machine with feature X so you need to provide feature X in all it's glory or the consumer is entitled to a refund or exchange of the item.

  • Inspirius #9 5 years ago

    @penhalion: I would read it is being IP banned from connecting to PSN which has nothing to do with disabling the wifi. They will be perfectly within their rights to ban you as you will have violated their terms of service. No problem with the law here.

    So as it looks like Sony is planning on banning people by IP address have they really thought it through? Most people connect to the internet using DHCP, meaning your IP address is easy enough to change, plus you could pick up a banned address without having done anything wrong and be unable to connect. They should really ban the machines serial number if they feel they have to go that far.

  • Arcadiian #10 5 years ago

    "WE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE" - Sony.

    -gasp-

  • Rirekon #11 5 years ago

    @penhalion: In your own words, "Perhaps you should learn the law before you speak".

  • penhalion #12 5 years ago

    @egster

    The eula covers the software not the hardware. As I said they can disable your access to home not cripple the system they sold you! Consumer law overrides any Eula this is why firms have to say "Does not affect your statutory rights as a consumer"

    Perhaps it's you who should stop believing everything a company tells you and actually expand your knowledge of your own rights as a consumer!

  • skillian #13 5 years ago

    There will be Marlboro advertising? I thought tobacco advertising had been banned in this country (unless you're a donor to the Labour party, obv)?

  • kangarootoo #14 5 years ago

    @penhalion

    No one mentioned anything about disabling your hardware. Perhaps if Sony did what you are describing there might be legal issues.... but they aren't, so there aren't.

    The 360 has exactly the same options available to MS, and if XBLive detected your original XB was chipped, it would hardware ban it from the service.

    Nothing new here.

  • Turambar #15 5 years ago

    @Penhalion

    It doesn't say anywhere the hardware will be disabled, it just says you won't be able to connect to the sony online service.

    -edit-

    13 seconds too late :(
    Edited by Turambar at 14/08/07 @ 14:08

  • penhalion #16 5 years ago

    @Inspirius

    Sony are not planning on banning using IP address. Did no-one read the article. They clearly state "If you really, really misbehave you can have your console disconnected at a machine level, so you would actually have to move house and buy a new PS3 before you could get online again."

    It seems that no-one read what he said you all just assumed it was an IP based ban. As I said the move of crippling the users access at a machine level will make the machine not fit for purpose.

    @kangarootoo

    Mod chips are a different issue. The user has deliberately altered the hardware and so released microsoft from any obligation to either repair or replace the item in question. In this case it's Sony doing the modding! The user has nothing to do with the process apart from their behaviour in one aspect of the Sony network.
    Edited by penhalion at 14/08/07 @ 14:15

  • mkreku #17 5 years ago

    "disconnected at a machine level" can also mean that every PS3 sold has a unique serial number that the PSN can trace and ban. It doesn't have to mean that Sony sends laser beams through the Intarweb to destroy your WiFi.
    Edited by mkreku at 14/08/07 @ 14:18

  • playgen #18 5 years ago

    "It's relatively simple to be confident that somebody is over 18. So it's no problem to have areas that are only open to those aged 18 years' and over. We are able to do that quite comprehensively, we have access to the log-in data that they use for the PlayStation Network,"

    So if you fill in your age as 18 or over you get bombarded with ads for cigarettes and booze, wonderful.

  • Kenshin001 #19 5 years ago

    So Sony just has to put it in the user agreement when you sign up. Problem solved.

  • bioreit #20 5 years ago

    @Dizzy

    Credit card linkage for purchases.

    @ penhalion

    You are correct, in that

    a) most people mis-read the article and believed Sony was only talking about software measures (IP-banning) as opposed to hardware level (functionality removal).

    However, you are incorrect with

    b) that the disabling of hardware functionality would be illegal, as evinced by the law under which modders can be prosecuted. Failure to abide by the terms of service as dictated by Sony (or indeed, Microsoft) means they they can disbale certain elements of the hardware as a punitive measure.

    Were they to completely brick your console, making it a very expensive door-stop, then I would agree with you. However, by removing the PS3's ability to use Sony's own online service, in response to repeated and serious violations of its terms of use, I doubt Sony would get into too much trouble.

    By making the PS3 unable to connect to Sony's online service, no statutory rights have been infringed.

    Edit 1: Wayward typing
    Edited by bioreit at 14/08/07 @ 14:23

  • JediMasterMalik #21 5 years ago

    Good news this, clears up what Sony plan on doing about greifers and inappropriate content. I think the measures begin planeed seem appropriate for hardcore abusers.

  • ruttyboy #22 5 years ago

    Jesus, there's no way they'd actually disable your Wi-fi! I can only presume the machine checks an internal serial number against a 'banned list' whenever you log into Home.

    You people scare me.

  • zozart #23 5 years ago

    "Move house" ...? I don't get it.

    Why would you have to move house? Just make a new PSN account, duh.

    Disabling the PS3 via serial code or whatnot is a more believable threat.

  • penhalion #24 5 years ago

    @Bioreit

    Disabling online access does the following.

    1. No games with online functionalty will work correctly.
    2. The machine can no longer be updated to conform to the latest patches and updates.

    This action effectively bricks the console.

    Also I have to disagree with you about them putting this in the eula when you buy the console. The european courts have already stated that consumers can not be held to contracts such as these because a) they are not expected to have understood them before agreeing and b) The contract was not made clear BEFORE purchase of the item in question.

    In order for any eula to affect your statutory rights it needs to have been explained to you plainly and correctly before you agreed to it. This obviously never happens at any point so courts don't hold consumers to them in any way shape or form.

    Please people at least look up this stuff and arm yourselves with knowledge of your rights. It seems that today my eyes were opened to just how many of you are ready to throw those rights away simply to defend a console manufaturers ability to screw you over!

  • zuljin #25 5 years ago

    @penhalion
    "The eula covers the software not the hardware. As I said they can disable your access to home not cripple the system they sold you!"

    It says "you can have your console disconnected at a machine level". Disconnected != crippled. All it means is no PSN for you. And since you can download firmware updates on PC, I really don't think this is illegal in any way.

  • bioreit #26 5 years ago

    @Penhalion

    1. Lemme rephrase this a bit better The games with online components will work just as fine as if the PS3 owner had never hooked it up to the 'net in the first place. Internet functionality is still an 'extra' for pretty much every game out there (barring MMOs).

    2. Updates also come on discs. My friend had his 360 for over a year before even hooking it up to his router and he got all the major updates off games and magazine cover discs.

    I also do not support companies' efforts to stamp on the little guy, but just as with banning the Live accounts of hackers, I support this as the Ultimate Fallback Tool to make the PSN a bit nicer to inhabit.
    Edited by bioreit at 14/08/07 @ 14:45

  • Dizzy #27 5 years ago

    "@ Dizzy

    Credit card linkage for purchases. "

    True for normal users.. griefers won't do that. They just like to log on and annoy the hell out of people. :) Unless Home requires a credit card? (like Live)

  • Slamhound #28 5 years ago

    So we've basically gone from Sony's original stance of "hey, we don't care if people are doing hideously wrong things with Home" to threats of "we WILL destroy your life".

    Or at least make you shell out another Ł430 for a new console.

    This is akin to Ford saying "if you commit a motoring offence, we will disable your Fiesta's ability to drive on the roads and you'll have to buy a new one." Hmm.

  • bioreit #29 5 years ago

    @Slamhound

    It's more like if you continuously phone up a radio station from the carphone that came with your Ford, screaming racist/sexist/homophobic/whatever abuse for hours on end, that Ford disables the ability to have a working carphone or radio.

    The rest of the car will just work fine, but they'll take away the bits that help you do your nefarious deeds.

  • miiiguel #30 5 years ago

    I don't dig Second Life. Shame (IMHO) that Sony is focusing on everything but games.

    and, really that "we know where you live" line is a bit fascist to say the least. Avoidable.
    Edited by miiiguel at 14/08/07 @ 14:51

  • ruttyboy #31 5 years ago

    "This is akin to Ford saying "if you commit a motoring offence, we will disable your Fiesta's ability to drive on the roads and you'll have to buy a new one." Hmm."

    Yeah exactly like that...

    I believe if you commit a grevious enough driving offence you are liable to be banned from driving in court. In this case the manufacturer is having to take the court's role too. Now *that* is the analogy you should be drawing.

  • miiiguel #32 5 years ago

    ruttyboy: I don't think so, if I behave real, real bad while driveing, I don't think VW will take my Golf, and say "get another", I doubt it, don't you?
    Edited by miiiguel at 14/08/07 @ 14:53

  • ruttyboy #33 5 years ago

    Eh? Sony aren't 'taking' your console or affecting it physically in anyway, they're just handing you the equivalent of a life time ban from driving.

  • bioreit #34 5 years ago

    @Miiiguel

    That is what ruttyboy was saying, but in the case of Sony and Home there are no courts to do the job for them, so they do it themselves.

  • miiiguel #35 5 years ago

    I don't think that's acceptable, as when you buy a device that no longer belongs to Sony (or whatever), the PSN is a private network not the machine itself, the machine belongs to its owner (private proprety, this is not China). MS for instance bans hacked machines from its private netword it doesn't "screw" those machines. What I really think is these kinda comments are to scare ppl not really true, it's ridicule.
    Edited by miiiguel at 14/08/07 @ 15:03

  • Arcadiian #36 5 years ago

    Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children.

  • dadrester #37 5 years ago

    penhalionlol

    miiiguellol

  • ruttyboy #38 5 years ago

    Listen very closely, PLEASE.

    They will not 'destroy' any capability of the machine. They will prevent you from logging onto any Sony licensed network, thereby effectively removing the online functionality JUST LIKE Microsoft do!

  • miiiguel #39 5 years ago

    oh... ok, lovely then.

  • miiiguel #40 5 years ago

    what about games ?

  • dadrester #41 5 years ago

    let's put this to the test shall we... someone with a PS3 get yourself banned when home launches... then install linux and see if the network features are disabled..... or more likely just that you are (through your own fault) banned for life from that ip/on that serial numbered ps3... in fact the ps3 web browsed should even work... no need for linux, since that doesn't require login to the PSN.

    i can't believe people are turning this into some sort of EVIL$$$0|\|YHATEZYOU!!!11!!1 bullshit? chipped xboxes detected on the live network are disabled at a 'machine level' too. try logging on with a newaccount from a different IP... it won't work... ZOMG MICROSOFTS must hate you... idiots.

  • ruttyboy #42 5 years ago

    What about games?! They're a great laugh, you should play more and stop worrying about this ;-)

  • zuljin #43 5 years ago

    @miiiguel
    "what about games?"

    I'm thinking you could probably do LAN games still, although I have no idea how that would work without your PSN tag.

    And the moral of the story? Don't take kinky pictures on your Sony Ericson and upload them onto Home :)

  • dadrester #44 5 years ago

    What about games?! They're a great laugh, you should play more and stop worrying about this ;-)

    on a vaguely similar note... when's warhawk out? isn't it meant to be soon?

  • OldB0y #45 5 years ago

    Personally I couldn't care less about Sony banning users for misconduct - they're well within their rights to do so, and I'd rather they did have the ability to do so.

    What annoys me more is the mention of advertising. I don't mind seeing ads for forthcoming games or Blu-Ray discs - eg stuff relevant to the PS3, but I really don't want to see adverts for other crap, theres too much of that all around us as it is!!!

  • jellyhead #46 5 years ago

    Cue "Home Griefers" going around complaining and getting people thrown off the PSN.
    Nice new potential sport you've invented there Sony. :)

  • JYM60 #47 5 years ago

    There's a bunch of pricks getting banned from resistance as well. Then whining that they have been banned. All it takes is a new nickname to come back with.

  • Avenger1324 #48 5 years ago

    So enter your address as Sony HQ and get your account banned - Oh look now PS3's at Sony HQ won't be able to connect. Genius!

    That took a lot of thought to get round. Since people will sell consoles they is bound to be a way to get them reactivated as well.

    This just looks like unenforcable scaremongering.

  • moggsy #49 5 years ago

    There will be Marlboro advertising? I thought tobacco advertising had been banned in this country (unless you're a donor to the Labour party, obv)?

    That comment stood out to me too. Kids will have access to the 'over 18' areas (not least because their parents will probably just give them access) and so I think Sony need to be careful over exactly what is advertised in such areas. If they're advertising booze and cigs then will they also advertise adult videos for instance?
    Edited by moggsy at 14/08/07 @ 15:44

  • ruttyboy #50 5 years ago

    "So enter your address as Sony HQ and get your account banned - Oh look now PS3's at Sony HQ won't be able to connect. Genius!"

    Here's how I imagine it will work. To gain access to the 18 and over sections you will have to link your account to a credit card. So unless you live at Sony's HQ...

    You could get back to the under-18 areas 'just' by buying a new console and not moving house but how many people who are twattish enough to get banned are going to be happy with that?

  • rock27gr #51 5 years ago

    How on earth can they know the real age of a user?

  • ruttyboy #52 5 years ago

    Right, fuck it, nobody listens (reads) do they?

  • rock27gr #53 5 years ago

    :)

    But seriously, unless they make the Credit Card mandatory, how would they do it?

    Limiting your audience to using a Credit Card isn't very wise, is it.

  • ruttyboy #54 5 years ago

    They would make it mandatory in order to access the over-18 sections, the under-18 areas it's unneccessary to know your age.

    Like others I am more pissed off at the thought of going to an online world and not being able to move without falling over an advert...

  • oreillymj #55 5 years ago

    @penhalion, @Inspirius

    Actually to be pedantic, Sony or MS do not ban an IP address. They ban by MAC address which is the unique code burned in to the NIC within the PS3.

    There are way's around this (MAC spoofing) but they're beyond the capability of your average kid who can hardly get they're PS3 to connect to the Internet.

    And before the whole anti-Sony brigade pile in about how outrageous this is...

    Remember MS will ban you permanently from Live if they detect that you've modded your Xbox.

  • RazorObsession #56 5 years ago

    I'm sure this is all a moot point anyway, as my crystal ball is telling me that home is going to be SHIT.

    Its not a game, there are no levels or objectives, or high scores, just people meeting, with avatars, to do what exactly, talk about games that are miles off, that they'd love to play but, cant cause Sony haven't quite delivered on their promises yet?

    Maybe they'll slate MS for not thinking of it first, whilst applauding Sony's originality, conveniently forgetting all about second life, which is also shit?

    Perhaps they will use it to upload pictures of each others willies? I mean this is what the articles about isn't it? PS3 owners showing you theirs, if you show em yours? And then banning them?

    its Sony worried that Home could be the first Massively Multiplayer Online Cottaging Simulator, so they're trying to scare em straight.

    Homosexual PS3 owners shouldn't take Sony's blatant homophobia lying down, or standing up, or from behind...

    /runs away laughing

  • zuljin #57 5 years ago

    @moggsy
    "Kids will have access to the 'over 18' areas (not least because their parents will probably just give them access) and so I think Sony need to be careful over exactly what is advertised in such areas. If they're advertising booze and cigs then will they also advertise adult videos for instance?"

    If parents give their children access, by letting their kids use an 18 account, the parents are at fault, not Sony. Its just the same as the internet, if parents don't oversee what kids look up, doesn't mean they are any less responsible.

  • Sebo #58 5 years ago

    Do sony really know what they are doing??? "It's in our power", is it Mr Sony, is it?? Sure they can ban people from Home, but entirely disabling their PS3's internet access, which this really sounds like they are threatening, well, it isn't in their power is it????

  • DanWhitehead #59 5 years ago

    Remember MS will ban you permanently from Live if they detect that you've modded your Xbox.

    That's slightly different though. A modchip is a physical hardware change. It's fairly easy to prove whether or not a console has been altered in that way. "Inappropriate behaviour" is something far more subjective, and open to interpretation. Is Sony actually going to investigate every claim against a user, or will accusations alone be enough to accrue enough black marks to be booted off? Will all activity in Home be monitored and recorded for proof, or will it always come back to your word against theirs?

    As jellyhead pointed out (and, oh, does it feel weird to type that) this could create more problems than it solves, if malicious users go around complaining about anyone who beats them in a game, or just randomly accusing other users of behaving badly.

    Most users won't be able to install Linux or spoof their MAC code, so any system which involves restricting online functionality needs to be pretty airtight to avoid angry (and innocent) customers.

  • zuljin #60 5 years ago

    @DanWhitehead
    "Will all activity in Home be monitored and recorded for proof, or will it always come back to your word against theirs?"

    Well remember that most information will go via Sony, so it would only make sense to keep some sort of logs, both for personal statistics ( pick out which games people talk about, which games are launched, which trailers people are positive about) and security / safety.

    People will always have arguments, I think this talk was more to address issues that people had about other users posting porn etc.

  • dadrester #61 5 years ago

    A modchip is a physical hardware change.

    just to shove my pedantic oar in... it is entirely possible (and is actually easier) to 'mod' an xbox without a chip... in fact without even touching the console, save for pressing the power button.

    anyway, the guy said accounts could be closed in the most extreme cases. i would imagine this would be if someone set up some paedo dungeon in their apartment and then invited strangers round, etc. more likely for iditos just trying to spoil the experience would be warnings and timed banning from the service or specific (just as live has in place).

  • a.d.venturer #62 5 years ago

    I think people need to take a grain of salt about the comments made by Sony. The Sony representative was smiling and joking when he said it... I don't think this is going to be official Sony policy. (Was there when comment was made).

  • NoCodeNed2 #63 5 years ago

    @a.d.venturer - thanks for an 'on-the-spot' comment. Makes a lot more sense. Would be interested to know why EG didn't bother to report it like that?

  • el_pollo_diablo #64 5 years ago

    Quite clearly this move is to try and prevent people having their Home homes covered in Goatse wallpaper with a tubgirl bathtub in the bathroom.

    Sounds fair enough to me. I don't really want to be seeing that type of shit all over the place.

    Pun intended.

  • reddevil93 #65 5 years ago

    @Xiphos

    It means like walking in people way so they cant go to certain places or walking over to people and shouting in your headset to annoy them.

  • kangarootoo #66 5 years ago

    @penhalion

    I think there is some misunderstanding over what would actually happen to your PS3 in the event of a ban. The only thing you would get banned from is the PS Network. Your PS3 would work just in all other ways. You could still connect to your home network, and to other systems on your home network. You just couldn't log in to PSN.

    That is about a million miles from bricking your system (you can still perform firmware updates without a direct internet connection). Otherwise you could consider every PS3 bought by an owner without broadband as being bricked out of the box (you might consider that, bt very few would agree with you).

    As for the legality, PSN is a service. A software service. And if the EUAL says you can get banned for misuse, then you can.

    As I said, this is nothing new. Let me say that again, Sony are doing nothing other online service companies have not already done and are still doing right now. Blizzard ban people from WoW all the time, thousands a month as it happens. You don't see them stomping into court because they got banned for breaking their EULA. Same thing here.

    Here is an analogy, to clear things up. I buy a car. I then drive like a twat and get banned from driving on the road. Can I now sue someone because my car "no longer works fully"? Of course I can't. The car works just fine, I have simply been prevented from using it in certain ways in return for showing I'm not responsible enough to have that power.

    Edit: its a metaphor more than an analogy, but you get my point.
    Edited by kangarootoo at 14/08/07 @ 22:14

  • kangarootoo #67 5 years ago

    @DanWhitehead

    All we are talking about here is online moderation. Its not some brave new world where Sony have to make all the rules up themselves. Its not like Sony haven't had some experience of this already with things like Everquest and Socom.

    I'm sure whatever issues surround proving who said what and categorising bad behaviour have been pretty well covered by now.

  • Twincoil #68 5 years ago

    At last - a REAL reason to behave like an adult online.

    If only Halo 3 were coming to PS3. Just think - we might be able to play it without such a high concentration of agressive yank wankers who are as bad at winning as they are at losing...

    Oh...but that wouldn't be Halo anymore then, would it?

  • agparrot #69 5 years ago

    @jellyhead
    Cue "Home Griefers" going around complaining and getting people thrown off the PSN.
    Nice new potential sport you've invented there Sony. :)

    Exactly, not only will you now have to put up with roving bands of foul-mouthed idiots, but now, if you beat them at a game, they will all loudly accuse you of being a child molester and get you kicked off the network, forcing you to move house and buy another PS3 to get back on to the PSN. It's gonna be grrrrrrreat.

  • Vandrius #70 5 years ago

    Funny to watch all the 360 bots on this thread saying "Sonysuxlol".

    Microsoft bricks consoles right left and centre, when they get the excuse. This is also the Microsoft that tried to disable all 'non-legit' copies of windows.

    Pot, meet kettle.

  • Daikon #71 5 years ago

    77 comments and no mention of George Orwell?

  • numptyboymatt #72 5 years ago

    They will have to set out strict guidelines for this - in this day and age, people are all too easily offended so they need to be VERY clear and careful as to what constitutes a reason to be banned and what doesn't.

  • afghan_jones #73 5 years ago

    The worst part of this is going to be the kids who get beaten at games then file complaints calling people racists or whatever, resulting in innocent people getting banned. How fully will Sony investigate complaints? And to what extent can people appeal against decisions?

  • dadrester #74 5 years ago

    The worst part of this is going to be the kids who get beaten at games then file complaints calling people racists or whatever, resulting in innocent people getting banned. How fully will Sony investigate complaints? And to what extent can people appeal against decisions?

    surely the system logs all complaints... if a user is complaining about lots of people regularly, then this would probably get flagged... i'm sure the service will be set up just like other similar services. the main point the man makes is that sony want the service to be self moderated, and they are not massively fussed about what goes on in it, but do have in place the option to ban users and in the most extreme cases disable them from connecting to the playstation network... it seem lately with sony, they're damned if they do and they're damned if they don't.

  • DanWhitehead #75 5 years ago

    All we are talking about here is online moderation. Its not some brave new world where Sony have to make all the rules up themselves. Its not like Sony haven't had some experience of this already with things like Everquest and Socom.

    Except he clearly says that Sony won't be actively policing the service, but will be relying instead on the community to be self-moderating. As has been said, without very clear guidelines as to what constitutes an offence this could prove to be a logistical nightmare. My concern is that it could end up like eBay's utterly broken "self-governing" feedback system, where any attempts to actually involve the service provider in resolving a dispute meets with nothing but unhelpful stock automated responses.

  • kangarootoo #76 5 years ago

    @DanWhitehead

    "Except he clearly says that Sony won't be actively policing the service"

    Thats no different to any other online service. Its not like Blizzard have an army of admins wandering around WoW looking to catch wrong doers "in the act". Pretty much all online modertation is reactive. Even places like YouTube filter content after it has been posted, and then pull it reactively if required.


    Let me say this again, as it seems to keep slipping people by.

    THIS IS NOTHING NEW. Its online moderation, that is it, that is all. It works in exactly the same way most other online services work, and in the case of banning your actually console from the service, it works in EXACTLY the same way XBLive already work.

    Good grief people.

  • Sebo #77 5 years ago

    @kangaroo

    I'm sorry, but it just doesn't sound as cut and dry as that. He doesn't say Sony will be moderating, he says it will be self policing, that creates a whole host of problems, ala Ebay as someone else mentioned.

    Getting banned from Home is one thing, but being banned from all online activity with your PS3 is another...It should be simple, yes, but unfortunately it's not. It only will be when Sony make their rules a lot clearer than they have in this article.

    Oh, and haven't had any dealing with Xbox 360 online, but if that's what they are doing, then I think that's wrong too.
    Edited by Sebo at 15/08/07 @ 10:46

  • SEVQA #78 5 years ago

    The whole thing is BS!

    "have to move house and buy a new PS3 before they could get online again."

    I reply: Sony would have to move the location of the company if I had to buy another PS3 which I would not!

    "Ultimately we know a user's details, we know machine details and we know where they live,"

    I reply: Ultimately I know how to mask IP addresses and change my MAC on whim, and will teach my kids to do the same!

    "Clearly that's not something we would want to be doing very often but as a disincentive to mess round too much it's in our power,"

    I reply: Clearly that’s not something I would want to do very often but as a disincentive to mess around too much is in my power.

    "We're going to be relying on users assessing what's appropriate to them.”

    I reply: one mans rebel is another’s freedom fighter

    “subject to behaviour they don't like they can complain about it rather than we walk around as virtual police."

    I reply: Subject to behaviour they can complain about it rather we walk around as virtual renegades.

  • SeesThroughAll #79 5 years ago

    Vandrius +10
    Spot on about some intellectually challenged XBots using the story as a pretext to call Sony "fascists".

    On topic, what the story shows is that Sony is not really ready to cope with abuse within Home. Relying on users to self-moderate is usually not a good policy.
    Edited by SeesThroughAll at 15/08/07 @ 12:02

  • kangarootoo #80 5 years ago

    @Sebo

    "It should be simple, yes, but unfortunately it's not. It only will be when Sony make their rules a lot clearer than they have in this article."

    And do you actually expect that won't happen? The basis on which people get their accounts managed is not going to based on a few choice quotations is it? The EULA for one will likely information about use of the product, and there is bound to be more detail in other sources such as official websites.


    @SEVQA

    What on earth are you on about?