PlayStation HK bans chat banter critical of China

PlayStation has banned chat banter that is critical of the People’s Republic of China, in a terms of service update which specifically targets the Hong Kong market.

The update to the Hong Kong region terms, which was published this month, includes the following under the Community Code of Conduct section:

“For users with China Mainland as country / area of residence

You may not use your Account or use PSN in any way to create, reproduce, publish or disseminate any information which:

• opposes the basic principles in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC“);
• endangers the security of the PRC, divulges PRC State secrets, or jeopardizes the sovereignty and unification of the PRC;
• damages the honor and interests of the PRC;
• violates PRC policies on religion, or propagates heresies or superstition;
• disseminates rumors, disrupts social order, or undermines social stability;
• disseminates obscenity, pornography, gambling, violence, or instigates others to commit crimes;
• is prohibited by PRC laws, administrative regulations and other provisions.”

The language and timing of this update is curious. Even though it claims to be for “mainland residents”, it seems to specifically pertain the civil rights protests happening in Hong Kong.

A bit of background first. The city had previously been a British colony, following a 99-year lease agreement the UK made with the Qing Dynasty in 1898. It was handed back to the People’s Republic of China in 1997, where it was given “special administrative region” status. Becoming a sort of quasi-autonomous city state. The islanders still hold to their British roots, including Western liberal democratic ideals, which has created friction between them and the CCP government on the mainland. Recently, the communist dictatorship has begun clamping down on the territory, which includes a controversial extradition treaty. Citizens began mass protesting last year, demanding a removal of the treaty and a return to democratic self-governance. Some have even begun pushing for possible independence.

Meanwhile, many video game companies have shown a willingness to get cozy with the Chinese Communist Party in an effort to enter the lucrative mainland market. The CCP has historically banned the sale of foreign video game systems, but now seems to be warming up to the idea. However, this has resulted in several controversies as Western game companies seem far too eager to violate players’ human rights in an effort to chase the almighty Yuan.

Late last year, Activision-Blizzard came under fire after professional Hearthstone player and Hong Kong resident, Blitzchung, was banned from competitions and had his winnings revoked by the publisher. Blitzchung had publicly voiced his support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protestors during a live stream at a Hearthstone event. The move sparked outrage in the gaming community, resulting in a bi-partisan group of US politicians sending the company a letter demanding answers. Other American game companies have also been questioned due to their ties with CCP affiliated Chinese conglomerates.

Curiously, neither Xbox Live nor Switch Online include similar language in their respective terms of service for the Hong Kong region. Leaving Sony as the lone standout. This comes on the heels of a recent story involving voice chat recording. All PlayStation 5 consoles will record rolling 5-minute clips of all party chats, in order to ensure “player safety”. Gamers have called out the move as an invasion of privacy. Now with PlayStation seemingly getting in bed with China’s communist dictatorship, it’s certainly not helping ease players’ concerns.