December 2024
Hi there,
Welcome or welcome back to Trust & Safety Lately, your monthly recap of all things trust & safety with an eye on the gaming industry. How is it already the end of the year? Time flies when you're reading up on the latest T&S news from around the globe (that's how the saying goes, right?)?
Before we dig into this month's news, stop by our blog to read CEO & Co-founder Mike Pappas' reflections on detecting and encouraging prosocial behaviors in games, social platforms, and even delivery & ride-share app ecosystems.?
And so for our last Trust & Safety Lately newsletter of 2024, we've got:
Let's jump in! ???
Data & Reports
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?? Extremism on Steam
The ADL Center on Extremism (COE) analyzed games and content available on Steam, the popular video game marketplace and launching platform, uncovering extremist and antisemitic keywords, usernames, copypasta, and other forms of content. The COE doesn't mince words:??
Steam’s public-facing content policy includes no mention of hate or extremism. In 2018, following?controversy over a game that simulated a school shooting, Valve announced it would allow all games on Steam “except for things that we decide are illegal, or straight up trolling.” This is in sharp contrast to the much more?comprehensive policies of other gaming platforms?and live service providers like Activision Blizzard and Microsoft.?
Read the full report here.?
?? Analysis of Trust and Safety Practices for Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA) Prevention on Livestreaming Platforms
The Center for Democracy and Technology released a report giving a snapshot of the current trust & safety tools and processes in place to prevent child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) on livestreaming and video sharing platforms like Twitch, Kick, Discord, and even Instagram Live and Zoom.
Two major challenges in detecting CSEA in these contexts is the ephemerality of the interactions and the rapid pace at which illegal or violative content can be captured, broadcasted, and replicated. This robust report gives analysis of three CSEA tools and practice areas: design, content analysis, and behavioral analysis.??
Read the full report here.?
Industry News?
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???TaskUs x Red Points: Tackling Digital Fraud
Two trust & safety services companies are teaming up to combine AI detection technology with outsourced human expertise in the fight against fraud and counterfeits.
Fraud detection is big business but using AI for fraud detection isn't so?new -- back in October, the US Treasury shared that they've used machine leaning models to uncover up to $4 billion in fraud in the last fiscal year alone. CNN has the scoop on how feds are using AI.?
Read the full TaskUs and Red Points press release.?
领英推荐
???Google's Latest Safety Advisory
AI for fraud detection?and?AI for fraud -- that's what Google is warning users about in their latest safety advisory released in mid-November. Some digital scams rely on age-old tactics like impersonation but as detection and user awareness increases, scammers are turning to more sophisticated methods like app and webpage cloning or cloaking.?
Read the full advisory here.?
???Australia Bans Social Media for Users 16 and Under
Just last week, Australia passed a controversial new law restricting users age 16 and under from accessing social media.?Reuters?shares the mixed bag of reactions, from relief to criticism of an overreaching government and concerns over privacy implications. It remains to be seen if/how effective this law will be, and if other other countries will follow suit.?
????UK Eyes Social Media Ban for Kids?
UK technology secretary Peter Kyle says that hard age restrictions for minors accessing social media is not off the table. As the Online Safety Act continues to rollout, Kyle may implement an age ban similar to what's recently passed in Australia or perhaps some flavor of Korea's largely ineffective "shutdown law."?
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will launch a feasibility study to determine the impact of social media misinformation and disinformation on young people, which could make the case for tougher age restrictions. The issue of false information access to minors stems from summer 2024 riots fueled by misinformation about migrants and immigrants. TechCrunch has the scoop.?
Meanwhile, Technology Magazine shares a handy recap of how tech giants are responding to current and upcoming age restrictions on social platforms. Will more safety tools and verification techniques help to stave off a forced exodus of young people from these digital platforms??
???Tinder AU Launches a User Safety Campaign
In Australia, Tinder is trying to drive user adoption of the ID + Photo Verification feature by teaming up with WESNET, an organization that supports women and children facing intimate partner and domestic violence. Each new verified profile will result in money donated from Tinder to WESNET.?
Read more about the Verified QT campaign.?
???? Roblox Continues Child Safety Updates
Still reeling from a series of concerning media reports on a lack of safety features to protect young users, NPR outlines the safety updates Roblox has implemented to put more control into parents' hands.
Major changes include remote access for parents to view their child's friends list, set screen time limits, and set content filters. Users age 13 and under will be restricted from platform chat, or chats that happen outside of a Roblox game but still on the platform. CNET also points to a new feature that will restrict underage users from accessing unrated games -- developers have until December 3 to complete a questionnaire about their game in order to be properly rated and discoverable by young users.?
?? PSN Requirements for Safety -- Probably
In a recent financial update meeting, Sony's Hiroki Totoki welcomed continued pushback against the company's requirement to have PC gamers log into the Playstation Network (PSN) in order to access games like Until Dawn and God of War. The reason for this requirement, Totoki notes, is to ensure Sony can keep player-to-player interactions safe and civil. This opinion piece from GamesRadar points to some inconsistencies in this explanation when talking about single-player games that still require users to create a PSN account and log in.?