The gaming community is abuzz talking about privacy and harassment because of a message that started appearing after an update to the PlayStation 4 dropped on October 14th. According to Sony, the disclaimer is necessary because of a new voice chat moderation feature being released on the PlayStation 5.
After the 8.00 PS4 update, players started receiving a message when joining a voice chat which stated, "Voice chats may be recorded for moderation. By joining, you agree to being recorded." The disclaimer shocked users, sparking an uproar and claims that Sony is spying on users. The company regrets players finding out about the feature in this way, and released a statement on the PlayStation blog clarifying the need for the message.
"Our goal is to help foster a fun and positive experience when you’re playing online with friends and other gamers," says Catherine Jensen, VP of Global Consumer Experience at Sony. "We believe that it’s critical that gamers be able to quickly and accurately report abuse or harassment if they experience it while on PlayStation Network."
Jensen went on to clarify that the voice chat feature will be used only for the purpose of reporting abusive behavior, and it will not be actively monitoring conversations. Audio recordings would only be stored and transmitted in the event someone in the voice chat reports inappropriate behavior.
The disclaimer is necessary if Sony wants to implement the feature, since the PlayStation Network must be mindful of the regulations for every country their players log in from. In some jurisdictions, it is illegal to record someone without their consent. This disclaimer states in no uncertain terms that by joining a voice chat, a player is consenting to being recorded at some point.
Sony stands at the focal point for a moral conundrum that lies squarely between the right to individuals' privacy, anonymity, and free speech and the company's incentive to curate a safe space for players. When someone reports harassment on the PlayStation Network, the moderators need evidence to ensure they do not judge people unfairly or wrongfully ban a player who was not in violation. On the other hand, seeing a disclaimer that voice chats are being recorded, or have the potential to be recorded, can unnerve most people and instill a feeling of being personally violated.
The most likely configuration for the voice chat moderation is that the audio for a given party will be stored on the PSN server or individual users' PS5s for either a few seconds or for the duration of a match or play session. If a player decides to report someone for violating the PlayStation Code of Conduct, a copy of the voice chat audio will be forwarded to the moderators.
Source: PlayStation