Ubisoft gamers who enjoy making the lives of other players miserable with bullying, racism, and other ill-regarded behavior may end up getting a visit from the police. According to a report from the BBC, the publisher behind the Assassin’s Creed and Rainbow Six franchises has signed a first-of-its-kind deal with local law enforcement to tackle the issue of toxic gaming, a collaboration that the company hopes will start a conversation within the industry and prompt others to do the same. The department that Ubisoft is working with is the UK’s Northumbria Police, which polices Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and the City of Sunderland, as well as the ceremonial county of Northumberland.
From a BBC report:
“We want to be on the right side of history,” says Damien Glorieux a senior director of the Newcastle-based Ubisoft Customer Relationship Centre.
It’s here, and at four other locations around the world, that staff monitor how players of Ubisoft games are getting on – responding to requests for help and actively getting involved with the communities that have evolved around their titles. They deal with everything from purchasing issues to online toxicity.
Other companies have similar set-ups, but what’s unique here is the involvement of local law enforcement.
The deal between the company and Northumbria Police works in two parts.
Firstly, it sees specialist officers share their knowledge and expertise on harmful online interactions with the 200-strong team working at the centre in Newcastle, who then apply that training to their daily work.
Secondly, an agreement is in place so that in extreme cases, where there is a threat to life or potential serious harm spotted, staff can fast track the information to police.
They will then decide whether or not to act.
Discussion (19 replies)
Join Discussion →I think the police have more important things they need to "tackle" than some kids on a video game saying "mean words" to someone.
If Ubisoft wanted to do something about it, then they literally own the game and can implement features that block those users from being able to communicate in-game.
I think this is awesome.
Some kinds being kids can range from the mild to permanent harm. I believe they are talking more about things like swatting, harassment, and bullying, not 'you're mama wears combat boots.'
In my experience, People who havnt been on the receiving end of toxic behavior and of course those being toxic, are really good at being dismissive and blaming the victims.
How do local police in the UK affect some toxic twelve year old playing in Tennessee?
Literal clown world. Oh, we can't investigate rape and murder now, we got to deal with this kid saying mean things on the internet. SWAT is out to get another one who used the wrong pronouns in Rainbow 6.
In real life school bullying I'd agree. But this is the freaking internet, nobody is forcing you to go back for more. You can block those who are "mean" to you. Or chose to not go that server again. Life is not just about positive reinforcement, it is necessary to get acquainted with not being rewarded for failure.
Wow!
I never... ever... done this before on any tech site but... uhm... I'll ignore/block your post/account now because I do not wanna mistakenly send you ~ digital ~ knives at you unaware and later have the Po-Po at my door!
If a law is being broken this makes sense but I don't see how local jurisdiction would matter unless the game is region-locked.
Toxicity is bad and depending on the severity should result in a permanent ban but I don't understand this.
Maybe it has to do with swatting and they just didn't want to name it specifically for whatever reason.
I do know some countries have laws against death threats (even through the internet) so maybe this is related as well.
in the UK......
...I haven't cared about what goes on in the UK since 1791.
The huge VIOLATION of this is, what determines/warrants cyberbullying, etc. and from whom?! All Trojans, like this one, all started off with good intentions, you know? e.g. first, we had freedom-fighters/resistance but now... today they are called something else.
This will be abused from everywhere, especially from soft crooked/utopia-like mindsets.
Ubisoft inevitable demise cannot come soon enough, I tell ya!
I see this from two points.
1. People with the tools to identify others and make targeted realistic threats over the internet at their opponents using real world data about them should be considered credible. And should be investigated.
2. Others using their 'victimhood' as a weapon to attack others because their feelings were hurt even though the other did nothing actually illeagle. How many resources will be consumed tracking down these people?
For instance if I wanted to be a asshole and insult others and see how this works... why wouldn't I find a VPN within the jurisdiction of this police force and be the worst kind of troll possible. (short of making articulatable credible threats against others.) and see what happens? What is the actual response they are capable of. Is this police force SO bored that they have the capacity to handle online bullying or is this about REAL threats being made.
If I say I'm going to make a moltolv and throw it through the window of a persons home. That's a real threat. ESPECIALLY if it's clear I KNOW where this person lives.
If I say I'm gonna screw your mom and become your daddy just so I can ground you and take away your xbox... that's just smack talk.
The UK police has been going down this path for a while harassing people for what they say online. I'm kind of glad they left the EU so they don't take us down this 1984 path.
The thing is with that scenario is that many big gaming publishers are now banning its users for using a VPN on their servers (probably to inject this future BS too into their revised UA/ToS, you already know what uncle Phil wants to do).
Odd.. I've purchased an international license for a ubisoft game and activated it via VPN no problem. Never had an issue. Wonder if that's new.
Overreact much?
"Secondly, an agreement is in place so that in extreme cases, where there is a threat to life or potential serious harm spotted, staff can fast track the information to police."
Erm, reading is fundamental. They're only concerned with actual threats.