NO FOUL LANGUAGE ON XBOX!

[VSW]

MICROSOFT CAN NOW BAN XBOX ACCOUNTS FOR 'OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE'

UPDATE: While the terms of service below have indeed changed, Xbox's Mike Ybarra says on Twitter that "There is no policy change for Xbox Live."

A Microsoft spokesperson also provided the following statement to IGN:

"We are committed to providing our customers with safe and secure experiences while using our services. The recent changes to the Microsoft Service Agreement’s Code of Conduct provide transparency on how we respond to customer reports of inappropriate public content."

Additionally, a spokesperson told IGN that "There has been no policy change for Xbox Live. This update clarifies that violating the Code of Conduct on our service may result in enforcement action."

Examples of prohibited content are available on Microsoft's official site.

An update to Microsoft's Terms of Service is rolling out in May for Xbox, Skype, and other services that the company provides, which can result in account suspension and bans for the use of "offensive language" as well as "fraudulent activity."

The new Services Agreement goes live on May 1, with section 5 of the summary of changes referencing amendments to the Code of Conduct.

"In the Code of Conduct section, we’ve clarified that use of offensive language and fraudulent activity is prohibited. We’ve also clarified that violation of the Code of Conduct through Xbox Services may result in suspensions or bans from participation in Xbox Services, including forfeiture of content licenses, Xbox Gold Membership time, and Microsoft account balances associated with the account."

Hopping over to the Code of Conduct, section iv. reads "Don’t publicly display or use the Services to share inappropriate content or material (involving, for example, nudity, bestiality, pornography, offensive language, graphic violence, or criminal activity)."

The obvious problem here is that there's no definition of what "offensive language" entails, and it seems that even welcome nudity over Skype, for example, would be a violation of terms. Which is bad news for those of you attempting to cultivate long-distance relationships or generally engaging in a bit of consensual frivolity.

"Graphic violence" isn't defined either, so it would be interesting to see where the company would stand if you were reported for sharing a clip from a first-party exclusive game that someone might find disturbing enough to report. A lancer tearing though a Locust might be immensely satisfying, but it could be enough to turn the stomachs of people not familiar with Gears of War franchise, or those who find it excessively and unnecessarily violent.

Microsoft can access the content you store or share on their services when investigating "alleged violations," but they state that they can't "monitor the entire Services and make no attempt to do so."

It's not clear if the implication is that you'd have to be reported for behaviour that breaches the rules they've set out before they can investigate, and saying that they can't monitor the services in their entirety isn't necessarily the same as saying they're not monitoring it in parts.

The language is somewhat ambiguous, and it's unclear if it relies solely on users being caught out and then reported, or if aspects of communication and stored content are being sifted through by Microsoft, that can then be flagged for investigation, giving them the right to start trawling through your data.

As well as bans and suspensions, Microsoft can also "remove or refuse to publish" your content "for any reason," as well as blocking "delivery of a communication" like emails, instant messages, and file sharing.

Jonathan Corbett, a Civil rights activist and law student, highlighted the changes to Microsoft's Service Agreement on his blog, and was seemingly banned from Reddit’s /r/Microsoft for posting his story.

IGN has contacted Microsoft for comment and clarification on the changes.

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C(:

[Sumato]

Thats such fuckin bullshit, fuckin pieces of cockslobber that they are, fuckin tards..

[VSW]

Thats such fuckin bullshit, fuckin pieces of cockslobber that they are, fuckin tards..

lol.
I agree & everyone has the right & SHOULD have the option to mute whomever they find offensive.


Instead of censoring/banning users that's not spewing hatred why not improve & ALWAYS include the options to ignore, disconnect from, mute, block, report, any & all intolerable & inappropriate content/behavior.
And remind users they can avoid it, THEY CAN DO THAT.

Because seriously this is like phone companies giving out warnings to customers not to swear over the phone.

C'mon. We're starting to become a society reflective of San Angeles 2032.

Next we'll have the words "We Can't Handle This" on our shirts.


lol Why does this feel like it all spread from the gaming realm into life.
It started out there with stop being so serious at little league baseball games & everybody gets a trophy.
In the gaming realm It started with Gamers wanting ethics in gaming journalism but the industry tossed Anita our way then everything got screwed up.
Then it all merged & became a total nightmare resulting in everything from gaming to movies & comics ruined.
Does it seem like it all started that way, was 2013 the year society started to become so fragile & overly sensitive ?


And creepy yet, here we are with this code of conduct from microsoft.
So i'm wondering how long before it spreads.

[Kwa]

Wait, offensive language, like cursing n should, is it that, or something else type...

[VSW]

Here's the list i got in an e-mail from microsoft.

Code of Conduct
3. Code of Conduct.
a. By agreeing to these Terms, you’re agreeing that, when using the Services, you will follow these rules:

i. Don’t do anything illegal.

ii. Don’t engage in any activity that exploits, harms, or threatens to harm children.

iii. Don’t send spam. Spam is unwanted or unsolicited bulk email, postings, contact requests, SMS (text messages), or instant messages.

iv. Don’t publicly display or use the Services to share inappropriate content or material (involving, for example, nudity, bestiality, pornography, offensive language, graphic violence, or criminal activity).

v. Don’t engage in activity that is fraudulent, false or misleading (e.g., asking for money under false pretenses, impersonating someone else, manipulating the Services to increase play count, or affect rankings, ratings, or comments).

vi. Don’t circumvent any restrictions on access to or availability of the Services.

vii. Don’t engage in activity that is harmful to you, the Services, or others (e.g., transmitting viruses, stalking, posting terrorist content, communicating hate speech, or advocating violence against others).

viii. Don’t infringe upon the rights of others (e.g., unauthorized sharing of copyrighted music or other copyrighted material, resale or other distribution of Bing maps, or photographs).

ix. Don’t engage in activity that violates the privacy of others.

x. Don’t help others break these rules.

b. Enforcement. If you violate these Terms, we may stop providing Services to you or we may close your Microsoft account. We may also block delivery of a communication (like email, file sharing or instant message) to or from the Services in an effort to enforce these Terms or we may remove or refuse to publish Your Content for any reason. When investigating alleged violations of these Terms, Microsoft reserves the right to review Your Content in order to resolve the issue. However, we cannot monitor the entire Services and make no attempt to do so.

c. Application to Xbox Services. Click here for more information about how this Code of Conduct applies to Xbox Live, Games for Windows Live and Microsoft Studios games, applications, services and content provided by Microsoft. Violation of the Code of Conduct through Xbox Services (defined in section 14(a)(i)) may result in suspensions or bans from participation in Xbox Services, including forfeiture of content licenses, Xbox Gold Membership time, and Microsoft account balances associated with the account.

[Sumato]

huh, I was trying to find the Do Not Pick Your Nose while on camera,maybe the
no pulling the underwear out of your crotch from moving around so much trying to kill your neighbors zombie clause...

how stupid..what a politically correct gaming world we live in,

next thing you know we will have to send apology cards to people we destroy online in gaming.