Content Moderation
Ongoing coverage on Content Moderation.
Latest coverage
The video game payment processor crisis may be getting better, thanks to the American Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued warnings to payment processors like Mastercard, Visa, Stripe, and PayPal, stating they cannot deny service based on political or religious views. This action may alleviate the ongoing crisis affecting video game developers and platforms, such as Itch.io and Valve, who have faced restrictions on content and payment services due to pressure from these processors.
Evening Legal Briefs
The FTC has indicated that Mastercard's past actions pressuring Steam to remove NSFW games were not viewed favorably. Separately, a legal ruling may allow a class-action lawsuit against Meta concerning alleged torrenting activities to proceed.
Remember when Mastercard pressured Steam to remove a bunch of NSFW games? The FTC says that's not cool—sort…
The US Federal Trade Commission has sent letters to major financial services companies like Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, and Stripe, expressing concerns about potential political or religious discrimination in their services. This action follows Valve's report that Mastercard pressured Steam to remove NSFW games, a claim Mastercard denies, stating they only allow lawful purchases. The FTC's investigation could impact how payment processors handle content restrictions.
Roblox now uses AI moderation to shut down harmful content before it reaches you
Roblox has implemented a new real-time multimodal AI moderation system designed to detect and shut down harmful content before it reaches players. This system scans entire in-game scenes, including avatars, text, and 3D objects, to identify violations of community standards. The company is also co-developing a DLC Leadership Program with Keyword Studios and Riot Games to standardize training for online community managers.
Mark Zuckerberg offered to 'help' Elon Musk with DOGE in 2025
Text messages published in court documents reveal that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg offered to assist Elon Musk with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in early 2025. The exchange also included discussions about potentially bidding on OpenAI's intellectual property. Musk's lawyers have argued that these personal communications are irrelevant to his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI.
Wikipedia bans AI-generated articles & page edits
Wikipedia's organizers have banned articles and page edits that are entirely generated by AI, citing repeated policy violations. This decision reflects concerns about the accuracy and adherence to standards for AI-written content on the platform.
Tomodachi Life demo has no filter - it's already descended into raunchy chaos
The demo for Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream on Nintendo Switch has revealed a surprising lack of content filters, allowing players to create explicit island names and dialogue. Despite Nintendo's family-friendly image and restrictions on sharing screenshots, the game permits unfiltered user-generated content. This approach contrasts with other Nintendo titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pokémon, where word restrictions are common.
As Tomodachi Life demo players push its lack of filter to the limit, former marketing lead says Nintendo may be "rethinking" its approach after being caught out by the internet again
The demo for Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream features no filter for player-created content, leading to unfiltered Mii dialogue. Former Nintendo marketing lead Kit Ellis suggests the company may be rethinking its approach to user-generated content, as it has historically been surprised by player actions online. This lack of censorship in the demo mirrors the viral nature of the original Tomodachi Life, which was a significant commercial success.
Oversight Board tells Meta expanding Community Notes outside of US poses 'significant' risks
Meta's Oversight Board has advised caution regarding the expansion of its Community Notes feature outside the United States, citing significant human rights risks and potential for tangible harms. The board recommended withholding the feature in countries with high polarization, ongoing conflict, or organized disinformation networks, suggesting it can coexist with traditional fact-checking partnerships.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream has absolutely no profanity filter
The demo for Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream on Nintendo Switch features no profanity filter, allowing players to freely name their islands. The game is fully offline, meaning custom names will not be shared with other players. The full game is set to release next month.
Morning Consolidation
Sony has removed approximately 1,000 games from the PlayStation Store that were deemed to be of low quality. This action is part of an effort to curate the digital storefront and improve the overall user experience.
Steam Faces Major Backlash Over War Crime Game That Slipped Through Content Filters
Steam is facing significant backlash for hosting the game "Ukrainian Warfare: Gostomel Heroes," which depicts events in locations where documented war crimes occurred during the ongoing conflict. The platform's content moderation system is criticized for allowing the game, which has been banned in Ukraine and Germany, while dismissing user reports as mere feedback. This controversy highlights issues of platform accountability and the handling of sensitive real-world events in gaming.
AI Yi-Yi!
TikTok has removed AI-generated videos depicting sexualized Black women following a BBC investigation. Separately, XDA reports that AI agents pose a security risk for home labs, with Tailscale releasing a fix for related vulnerabilities.
Louisiana man charged with possessing CSAM is not a Roblox employee, but he did make Roblox games
A Louisiana man, Jamie Borne, was arrested and charged with possession of CSAM and owning a child sex doll. While initial reports suggested he was a Roblox programmer, Roblox Corp clarified that Borne was not an employee but a user who created games on the platform. Roblox has deactivated his accounts and experiences, and the incident has reignited discussions about the platform's child safety standards amidst ongoing lawsuits from state attorneys general.
Meta will move away from human content moderators in favor of more AI
Meta plans to significantly reduce its reliance on human content moderators over the next few years, transitioning to AI-based systems for content review. While humans will still handle critical decisions and training, the company believes AI can identify issues faster and more comprehensively, supporting a wider range of languages. This shift aims to improve efficiency and potentially reduce costs, though it may alter user perception of policy enforcement.
Xbox vs PlayStation vs Nintendo: Which Platform Is Actually Safer?
This analysis compares the online safety infrastructure and transparency of Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo platforms. Xbox is highlighted for its comprehensive, documented safety measures and detailed transparency reports, while PlayStation shows progress with its first report but lacks data depth. Nintendo employs a restrictive-by-default model, prioritizing child safety but offering no public data, creating an accountability gap.
UK fines 4chan nearly $700,000 for failing its online safety act obligations
The UK's Ofcom has fined the website 4chan a total of £520,000 ($690,000) for failing to comply with its obligations under the Online Safety Act 2023. Penalties were issued for issues including the failure to prevent children from encountering pornography, insufficient illegal content risk assessment, and inadequate terms of service regarding user protection.
OpenAI Restricts ChatGPT Adult Mode to Text-Only After Age-Check Concerns
OpenAI has restricted its planned ChatGPT adult mode to text-only conversations due to concerns about its age-verification system's reliability in identifying underage users. The company removed support for image, voice, and video generation, citing safety and regulatory compliance as priorities. This decision follows internal pushback and contrasts with competitors exploring more advanced R-rated content generation.
OpenAI Restricts ChatGPT Adult Mode to Text-Only After Age-Check Concerns
OpenAI has restricted its planned ChatGPT "adult mode" to text-only conversations due to concerns about its age-verification system's reliability. The company decided to remove image, voice, and video generation capabilities after internal reports indicated the system misidentified underage users approximately 12% of the time. This move contrasts with competitors like xAI and prioritizes safety and regulatory compliance over feature expansion, delaying the feature's launch.
OpenAI's adult mode reportedly won't generate pornographic audio, images or video
OpenAI's upcoming 'adult mode' for ChatGPT will permit lewd conversations but will not generate explicit audio, images, or video. The feature faced internal debate regarding potential user emotional dependence and risks to minors, with age verification technology showing a significant error rate.