Sony’s new party chat recording for PS5 is hella creepy
Sony will reportedly be allowing internet randos to record your party chats on PlayStation 5 for “safety” purposes.
“We want PlayStation to be for everyone”, the company said in a message to the community. “Please be aware that voice chats may be recorded and sent to us by other users. By participating, you agree to your voice being recorded.”
The company said that reports will be checked by the PlayStation Safety team to see if they violate code of conduct, and that they are only being used for safety and moderation.
The fracas was originally kicked off after Firmware 8.0.0 for the PS4 was pushed out with the above message to the community. Sony later clarified that chats among PlayStation 4 users can only be recorded if they are playing with someone on a PS5. Which we take to mean that all PlayStation 5 chats can potentially be recorded.
PlayStation fans were livid about the update, taking to social media to voice their displeasure. “Lmao, so PlayStation literally took away everyone’s privacy and slowed down the PS4 with one update, they aim to please,” said @uncle_baul on Twitter. Others worried that the feature was ripe for abuse, and could be used to “cancel” (ban) players for even minor instances of political incorrectness.
Of particular concern to me is that players seem to have no way of knowing whether they are being recorded or not. Sony has also not been particularly transparent when it comes to how the recordings will be screened, or how long they will be kept, only stressing that they will not be used for anything other than moderation.
The update has also reportedly caused problems with loading friends lists, and accessing the PlayStation Store.
I previously touched on a similar issue a while back when I discussed the lack of consumer trust and negative features being added to products after purchase. It’s quite clear that nobody in the PlayStation fan community asked for the ability to record voice chats, if the scuttlebutt on social media is anything to go by. However, they slipped it under the rug long after most people had bought the console. Furthermore, voice chat is part of their premium online service, that users have to pay for. Such a feature would not have been disclosed at the time of purchase. There is also no meaningful way to opt out without losing access to online multiplayer. Customers are right to be upset, but unfortunately there is little recourse other than the court of public opinion. Frankly, consumer protection laws need to change.
This also reflects a much larger and scarier problem in Western society involving big tech manipulating, spying on, and censoring free citizens. This is something else which is in bad, bad need of regulation. Which may be coming soon as the US government is reported to be strongly considering breaking up the likes of Google and possibly other firms.
Sony has faced several controversies themselves since they moved their gaming division’s head office to California. Japanese games have been censored on the platform. Earlier this year the company was caught allegedly abusing the DMCA claim system on YouTube to bury the Last of Us II leaks, which painted the game in a negative light. Now it seems Sony is looking to have players tattle on each other in the name of some vague concept of “safety”. It’s trite to keep brining up Orwell in these instances, but we pretty much already have telescreens recording our every move. What’s one more?
It’s rare that I will tell people to not buy a certain game or system. It’s your money, and you should do with it whatever you think is best. I personally have three well loved PlayStation systems on my desk right now, and two more tucked away in storage. However, until the party chat recording “feature” is fully removed by Sony, I strongly recommend you avoid purchasing a PS5. Consider looking into their competitors instead.
Feature image by book radio via Flickr
Source: PushSquare
