Ubisoft will now report you to police in the UK for so called speech violation

tangoseal

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https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64476762

According to this article, Ubisoft in the UK is actively reporting people to the police for violation of offensive speech.


“For if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter.”
George Washington
 
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64476762

According to this article, Ubisoft in the UK is actively reporting people to the police for violation of offensive speech.


“For if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter.”
George Washington
You're being sensationalist here. There are still valid concerns, but it's not a "thought police" measure, either.

The partnership has Ubisoft relay info to police when there are serious threats of harm — say, one player vows to come to another's house and kill them, and not in a "just kidding" way. Ubisoft will not send the police to your house because you made a racist joke or used a transphobic slur. You might get banned from online play, but that's nothing new.
 
I've heard men say such sexual things to children. I've heard threats to kill people, threats of swatting. I am fine with that, those people need to realize they aren't safe behind their monitor slinging threats.
 
You're being sensationalist here. There are still valid concerns, but it's not a "thought police" measure, either.

The partnership has Ubisoft relay info to police when there are serious threats of harm — say, one player vows to come to another's house and kill them, and not in a "just kidding" way. Ubisoft will not send the police to your house because you made a racist joke or used a transphobic slur. You might get banned from online play, but that's nothing new.
lol, you need to catch up because in the UK they WILL arrest you for just "mean things" being said.
 
lol, you need to catch up because in the UK they WILL arrest you for just "mean things" being said.
I know, but if you've read the article, you know the police will only be involved for serious threats. Yes, yes, I'm sure you don't trust Ubi or the police, but we don't have evidence that the program will extend any further than they say it will. As it stands, I can't imagine Ubi or police wanting to clog the system with alerts every time a teen hurls an anti-LGBT insult after a Siege match.
 
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You're being sensationalist here. There are still valid concerns, but it's not a "thought police" measure, either.

The partnership has Ubisoft relay info to police when there are serious threats of harm — say, one player vows to come to another's house and kill them
Or says they have a butter knife and aren't afraid to use it for marmelade, while watching the telly without a loicense.
 
This isn't just false equivocation, it's lousy equivocation.

Yes, you can be arrested in the UK for harassment and hate speech on social media. But you know what's worse? Being arrested or assassinated in Russia for challenging the ruling political party, or for expressing pro-LGBT views. A lot of the self-proclaimed free speech warriors here would soil their pants if they lived in Russia, as they have no concept of what real oppression looks like.

I'm not saying the UK's approach is flawless (I prefer what we have in North America), but I'd much rather live there than in Putin's Russia. At least in the UK I could run an opposition party without wondering if I'll be poisoned and shipped to a Siberian gulag.
 
This isn't just false equivocation, it's lousy equivocation.

Yes, you can be arrested in the UK for harassment and hate speech on social media. But you know what's worse? Being arrested or assassinated in Russia for challenging the ruling political party, or for expressing pro-LGBT views. A lot of the self-proclaimed free speech warriors here would soil their pants if they lived in Russia, as they have no concept of what real oppression looks like.

I'm not saying the UK's approach is flawless (I prefer what we have in North America), but I'd much rather live there than in Putin's Russia. At least in the UK I could run an opposition party without wondering if I'll be poisoned and shipped to a Siberian gulag.
thats called a whataboutism... we are talking about the UK.


fuckitty fuck fuck before soapbox...
 
This isn't just false equivocation, it's lousy equivocation.

Yes, you can be arrested in the UK for harassment and hate speech on social media. But you know what's worse? Being arrested or assassinated in Russia for challenging the ruling political party, or for expressing pro-LGBT views. A lot of the self-proclaimed free speech warriors here would soil their pants if they lived in Russia, as they have no concept of what real oppression looks like.

I'm not saying the UK's approach is flawless (I prefer what we have in North America), but I'd much rather live there than in Putin's Russia. At least in the UK I could run an opposition party without wondering if I'll be poisoned and shipped to a Siberian gulag.
No, that's not the point. I don't think anybody would rather live in Russia than in the UK now. The point is that even a totalitarian wartime regime spends less resources on policing social media posts than the UK does.
 
No, that's not the point. I don't think anybody would rather live in Russia than in the UK now. The point is that even a totalitarian wartime regime spends less resources on policing social media posts than the UK does.
I hear you, but it's still something of a red herring. The UK allows more social networks, has a wealthier overall public (and thus more social media users) and has enough freedom of expression that people don't usually fear arrest from a post. Russia? It bans Facebook and Twitter, its overall standard of living is lower, and of course it won't hesitate to throw people in prison for even the slightest threat to the status quo. If you organize dissent in Russia it's going to be through a secure Telegram chat or Tor, not a VKontakte post where authorities are almost certainly watching.
 
I hear you, but it's still something of a red herring. The UK allows more social networks, has a wealthier overall public (and thus more social media users) and has enough freedom of expression that people don't usually fear arrest from a post. Russia? It bans Facebook and Twitter, its overall standard of living is lower, and of course it won't hesitate to throw people in prison for even the slightest threat to the status quo. If you organize dissent in Russia it's going to be through a secure Telegram chat or Tor, not a VKontakte post where authorities are almost certainly watching.
We don't speak of gradients. There is only good or bad. There is no difference between someone going "shh" and your entire family being arrested because you put a sign in your yard against the political party.
 
While I am sure some people get very angry in games, 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999% of shit talking in online games is just that. Even something like "I am going to drive to your home and poop on your bed" isn't exactly a good indicator the person will in fact, break into the other person's house and defecate on their bedding.

This will just waste tax money at best, or at worst increase the jail population in the UK which isn't productive for society. Especially when "the crime" isn't a threat to society.
 
Yes, you can be arrested in the UK for harassment and hate speech on social media. But you know what's worse?
Let me explain to you how just because someone else is doing something extra naughty, the first person you're looking at isn't also doing something naughty. :)
 
While I am sure some people get very angry in games, 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999% of shit talking in online games is just that. Even something like "I am going to drive to your home and poop on your bed" isn't exactly a good indicator the person will in fact, break into the other person's house and defecate on their bedding.
Johnny Depp has entered the chat
 
Slippery slope for sure. This will last about as long as the first major lawsuit. It’s going to end up costing taxpayers a lot of money in the end.
 
I hear you, but it's still something of a red herring. The UK allows more social networks, has a wealthier overall public (and thus more social media users) and has enough freedom of expression that people don't usually fear arrest from a post. Russia? It bans Facebook and Twitter, its overall standard of living is lower, and of course it won't hesitate to throw people in prison for even the slightest threat to the status quo. If you organize dissent in Russia it's going to be through a secure Telegram chat or Tor, not a VKontakte post where authorities are almost certainly watching.
Two sides of the same coin, if you ask me. For example, in the UK you have the freedom to celebrate LGBTQ, but you don't necessarily have the freedom to oppose it due to vague "hate speech" laws. It's similar to the USA where any minority who claims to feel threatened can report you and have your life ruined in a similar fashion.

I bet all it takes is for you to say "that's gay", and for some player to feign offense and you will get in trouble. UK has demonstrated very low standards for that they consider to be a violation of their speech laws.

And the UK and Russia both agree about laws around Holocaust skepticism. Can't question one of the most important events in modern history which our current power structure is based on. Really free country, right?

I know I wouldn't feel safe talking about the Holocaust with my friends in the UK in an Ubisoft game. So much for freedom.
 
While I am sure some people get very angry in games, 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999% of shit talking in online games is just that. Even something like "I am going to drive to your home and poop on your bed" isn't exactly a good indicator the person will in fact, break into the other person's house and defecate on their bedding.

This will just waste tax money at best, or at worst increase the jail population in the UK which isn't productive for society. Especially when "the crime" isn't a threat to society.
Unless, maybe, Amber Heard send that message.
 
Or panicky fearmongering.
Are you admitting that you haven't noticed the pattern of which precedence is constantly being moved?

Maybe you're too young to remember, but even in America words that were common-place and not considered too offensive are now banned and you could have your career permanently damaged if you're caught using them.

It's not like the most powerful groups out there aren't proudly calling this "progress". Every element of the culture war is out in the open.

For every person claiming that things aren't radically changing in Western society, there is also someone who not only acknowledges the changes but are proud of it.
 
No, that's not the point. I don't think anybody would rather live in Russia than in the UK now. The point is that even a totalitarian wartime regime spends less resources on policing social media posts than the UK does.
That is a claim that does not follow from those numbers. Apart from that, the usefulness of the comparison completely breaks down when one considers that people self-censor far more in totalitarian regimes.
 
That is a claim that does not follow from those numbers. Apart from that, the usefulness of the comparison completely breaks down when one considers that people self-censor far more in totalitarian regimes.
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Yes, much better now...

"Freedom of information requests have revealed that 3,395 people across 29 forces were arrested last year under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003, which makes it illegal to intentionally cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another with online posts.

It is a rise of nearly 50 per cent since 2014, when there were 2,315 arrests, and an increase of 23 per cent since 2015 when there were 2,755 arrests.

The total number of arrests under the act, which also criminalises public online messages that are grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character is likely to be much higher because the request for data was rejected by 13 forces and two did not provide adequate information."

...oh!

Brits sure are lucky they aren't living in a totalitarian regime.
 
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That is a claim that does not follow from those numbers. Apart from that, the usefulness of the comparison completely breaks down when one considers that people self-censor far more in totalitarian regimes.
Self censorship is irrelevant when we are talking about the amount of government resources expended on thought policing. And the goal of Britain is literally to beat Russia by bullying people into compliance.
 
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