Millions of Xbox accounts have been suspended for breaking the rules
Microsoft has just published its first Digital Transparency Report for the Xbox gaming platform. In this report, the company revealed that it took preventative action against throwaway accounts that violated its community guidelines 4.78 million times over the course of a period of six months. This action typically took the form of a temporary suspension of the account in question. The Verge says that the study looks at the time between January 1 and June 30 of this year and gives information about player safety as well as how content is regulated.
It covers a range of statistics, such as the number of reports submitted by players and breakdowns of various “proactive enforcements” (i.e., temporary account suspensions) enforced by the Xbox team. Additionally, it includes the number of reports submitted by users.
“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 they set,” Dave McCarthy, CVP of Xbox Player Services, was quoted as saying.
According to a report by The Verge, the data demonstrates that Microsoft’s “proactive enforcements” have increased almost tenfold since the previous reporting period. Of the total 4.78 million enforcements, 4.33 million involved accounts that had been tampered with or used suspiciously in violation of the Xbox platform guidelines. These unauthorized accounts could have a number of effects on gamers, such as making it easier to cheat, spreading spam, and making the number of friends and followers go up artificially.
After conducting additional research on the data, Xbox discovered that it had taken preventative enforcement measures 199,000 times regarding adult sexual content, 87,000 times regarding fraud, and 54,000 times regarding harassment or bullying.
According to Microsoft, Xbox Ambassadors, who are members of the Xbox community who help other players with general support questions, were invited to preview the report and provide feedback on it. The report also said that all of the information was gathered because the company was committed to protecting the privacy of its customers.