There was some cause for concern when PS4 players learned of a new function that allowed for recording voice chats. As it turns out, this is in preparation for the PS5 which allows players to record up to 40 second voice clips for reporting abuse or harassment in voice chat. Sony global consumer experience vice president Catherine Jensen has clarified the feature more, stating that, “Its sole purpose is to help in reporting of inappropriate behavior, including actions that violate our Community Code of Conduct.
“Please note that this feature will not actively monitor or listen in on your conversations—ever—and it’s strictly reserved for reporting online abuse or harassment.” Jensen noted that the PS4 players would be able to chat with those on PS5 when the latter launches in November, hence the advisory, and also offered more details on how it works. Those being harassed can now include a 40 second long clip from Voice Chat in their report.
This consists of 20 seconds of the main conversation and 10 seconds before and after it. Voice chat recordings are limited to the most recent five minutes of a conversation for players. The reports are then sent to the Consumer Experience team for moderation. Their job is to “listen to the recording and take action, if needed. Some submitted reports won’t be valid, and our team will take this as an opportunity to provide guidance and education.”
But whether one likes it or not, it’s mandatory for all users. “There won’t be an option to opt-out of this Voice Chat recording function because we want all users to feel safe when playing with others online, not just those who choose to enable it,” said Jensen.
The PS5 is out on November 12th for North America and Japan while the rest of the world gets it on November 19th. Check out the brand new user experience that it provides here.
