SOE's Linda Carlson: "We will ban anyone from the PSN for actions taken on any social network"

[Badnik Mechanic]

Linda Carlson is the director of Global communications at Sony Computer Entertainmnent... She has just said the following...

 

 

 

Not only will we ban your forum account, but if it's serious enough we'll call up customer service and have you banned from all of our games,” “We do not need those individuals as customers.

 

*mind explodes*

 

Basically, you do something wrong, on any other media outlet, be it a rival companies online service, twitter, facebook, If Sony/this lady deem it 'too much' you can be banned from the PSN.

 

She continues...

 

 

 

A very influential player, high up in a huge guild – we'll still ban them. In our games, if you are an exploiter we don't care who you are, how big your guild is, how many people you threaten to take with you when you go. We can control anybody who's playing our games...[but] if we know who you are and you're abusing somebody on Twitter, we will ban your game account and we will not accept you as a customer ever again.

 

So... who else can see the obvious problem with this policy?

 

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/soe-will-ban-players-for-vile-behaviour-on-any-social-network/0121317

[JezMM]

Sony what are you doing.

 

Microsoft Games are meant to be the stupid ones

[Johnny Boy]

Looks like Nintendo is the only one of the big three that still has good sense.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Looks like Nintendo is the only one of the big three that still has good sense.

 

"Hey Nintendo, why are all my purchases locked to the console and not my account?"

 

All of the big 3 have stupid points about them.

[TCB]

I would love to read the source of this; this is too good to be true.

 

Sony cmon now. 

 

" We can control anybody who's playing our games.."

 

I don't know about any of you, but this line here REALLY caught my attention.

Edited September 19, 2013 by TheChaosBacon

[Badnik Mechanic]

Just added the source to the article, forgot to put it in. MCV is where I found it, but it's from a much larger interview from some kind of RPG/guildy type place.

[Uraraka]

I would love to read the source of this; this is too good to be true.

 

Sony cmon now. 

 

" We can control anybody who's playing our games.."

 

I don't know about any of you, but this line here REALLY caught my attention.

I don't

   Me too. why would I want a system that can control me?  Now Sony, I do not think I will be getting one of your systems. I do not want to be controlled by my gaming system thank you very much!

  Also, what to they deem as bullying? I mean, I am strongly against bullying, but lets just say John the PSN player is friends with Jill. He makes a "bullyish" joke to her, and then he is banned from the PSN.John and Jill know it is a joke, but Mrs. "I can control you" doesn't. What is this world coming too?

   I do not need someone to control me. If someone is actually bullying, then perhaps legal action should be taken, however, PSN Has nothing to do with this. Big companies can try and encourage people to end online bullying, and they can give money to the organizations that work against it. but by becoming this organization yourself, you are no longer "sony" but "the organization against online bullying". And on second thought, If she is threatening to control you, isn't she being a bit of a bully herself? I mean, what if she doesn't like you, and then takes something out of context from your Facebook and terminates your rights to the PSN?

Edited September 19, 2013 by knucklesgirl

[Chaos Warp]

Okay, so this means they basically spy on you right? How the fuck would they find your social networks if you don't mention them on your PSN account?

Either way this is absolute fucking bullshit.

[Da Blu Hedgie]

...seriously sony I wanted to love you, seems I might just get a wii u 1st unless you change this policy. That or I'll have to create another email specifically for psn.

[AlphaRuby]

Good job I don't really use online multiplayer anyway.

 

Still, WTF?

[Tori Himemiya]

Ehhhhhh.... Like Chaos Warp said it does seem suspicious that they can ban anyone for trolling anyone on any social network. But the suspicious part is how would they even know? Big Brother is watching us indeed I suppose. But then again I really don't do too much on facebook and I will never get a twitter account either so I'm pretty much in the green.

[Alternate Evolutions]

Ahaha. I posted a link to this on the status thing earlier. I actually like it, Shame they can't keep the riff raff off things like Call of Duty or the upcoming GTA Online (I actually got GTAV on PS3 due to the fact I've observed that more of the idiots reside on the 360 online stuff for CoD and similar stuff, so I anticipated the same for GTA Online when it launches).

Nice to see that i'm in a minority who actually thinks this is sort of a good idea. Yes the idea of "it was only a joke" and all that stuff may get overlooked, but remember, this is SOE, who run DC Universe Online and various MMO's like that, so to be fair, its not exactly missing much, and i'm pretty sure they don't spy on everyone individually

[PaddyFancy]

This is no big deal. If you don't do anything wrong what have you got to worry about?

[Chronozoah]

Nothing. Problem is, people have different ideas about what constitutes 'wrong', and at what point someone has gone too far.

[JezMM]

Also what is to stop someone impersonating you on another site?  The quote says they don't care if you're some big guild leader or anything like that, but they're exactly the sort of people who might be targeted by immature spiteful people who were causing problems in said guild, etc.

Edited September 19, 2013 by JezMM

[Badnik Mechanic]

Also what is to stop someone impersonating you on another site? 

 

Thats the obvious problem.

[PaddyFancy]

Is this just in general or does this have to happen on another website that you've connected to your PSN?

[SenEDDtor Missile]

This is no big deal. If you don't do anything wrong what have you got to worry about?

define "wrong". Then factor in human ego and emotions. Then factor in differing interpretations of the word "wrong". Then factor in the fact that having this kind of control leads  to potential abuse of power.

 

EDIT: Oh, and factor in different perspective as well.

Edited September 19, 2013 by 743 ED Missile

[Emmett L. Brown]

This is so obviously one of those publicity foot-in-the mouth moments that Microsoft has gotten so much practice at backpedalling away from at speed.

 

Will Sony take a page from the competition?

[Old dead account]

Well this policy would have been great for all the screaming 8 year olds on call of duty threatening to kill others and fuck their moms in the ass, but they're on xbox. I'm not an ass to anybody in general really so this won't effect me, unless they function like Club Penguin's banning system...

[DarkRula]

I'm pretty sure that might just be for the MMO's that SOE control.

I could be wrong about that, but that's the context I read it in.

[MegasonicZX]

Well this policy would have been great for all the screaming 8 year olds on call of duty threatening to kill others and fuck their moms in the ass, but they're on xbox. I'm not an ass to anybody in general really so this won't effect me, unless they function like Club Penguin's banning system...

Yeah, if anything im surprised it wasn't microsoft who said this.

[Jet Prower]

Well, as mentioned, unless you do something wrong, this wouldn't effect you at all. I don't use online gaming, so it would never effect me. If people are trying to impersonate you online or you have something taken out of context, couldn't you call customer service and explain your case and such? I don't know how Sony's customer service works, but wouldn't if someone has a dispute about something they feel as wrong, can't they bring that up to them?

 

I can understand if it is obvious things like you were caught cheating or hacking and things like that. Yeah, then there is no hope because you deserved it. However, if something is going really wrong that wasn't your fault and you are banned for it, there should be an appeals or questioning process for the people to go through?

[JezMM]

Probably, but the point is it shouldn't happen in the first place.  Assuming there were appeal systems, "guilty until proven innocent" thinking would be in effect here.

 

Also it is simply the principle that what you do on other sites is none of Sony's business.

Edited September 19, 2013 by JezMM

[Linkabel]

About the whole impersonating thing. Can't you link your social network accounts to your PSN one? I'm sure that if you can they are the only ones they are going to pay attention to. I don't think Sony is about to go through billions of social network accounts to scout for bullying in their system.