Microsoft has recently launched its first-ever “Digital Transparency Report“, a document that sheds light on the immense number of accounts that the company had proactively suspended in the last six months alone for violating community guidelines, as well as other infractions. The staggering piece of data amongst all that Microsoft revealed was the immense number of suspended accounts, 4.78 million of them within the January 1, to June 30, 2022, six-month window, the continued safety of Xbox players being at the heart of what Microsoft is trying to achieve.
Speaking through a press release, Dave McCarthy, CVP of Xbox Player Services, said
We know that Xbox is a special place for all of you. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to experience the joy of gaming, free from fear and intimidation, and within the boundaries you set.
The report highlighted three key takeaways:
- Xbox is taking action to offer better experiences. The Xbox team issued more than 4.33M proactive enforcements against inauthentic accounts, representing 57% of the total enforcements in the reporting period. Inauthentic accounts are typically automated or bot-created accounts that can detract from positive player experiences. This proactive moderation, up 9x from the same period last year, allows Xbox to catch negative content and conduct before it reaches players. Xbox continues to invest and improve its tech so players can have safe, positive, and inviting experiences.
- Players are stewards of the community. Player reporting is a critical component in Xbox’s safety approach. Alongside increased proactive safety measures, investments in scanning and filtering technologies, and education from the Xbox Ambassador community, reporting helps Xbox improve the work that it does to better protect players. Xbox’s players provided over 33M reports this period, with communications (46%) and conduct (43%) accounting for the majority of player concerns. Content moderation agents are on-staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to make sure the content and conduct found on the platform adheres to Xbox’s Community Standards.
- Players are in control. Every player is different and preferences on content and experiences are not one-size-fits-all. Xbox offers many ways for players to customise settings, from message filters to parental controls, at any point in their Xbox experience. These settings allow players to manage the type of content they see and experience across all the ways they play, whether on PC, console, or anywhere with Xbox Cloud Gaming. It’s up to the players, friends, and family members to take control and implement the settings that are right for them.
