Xbox adds enforcement strike system to improve safety and transparency
Up to eight strikes for a year's suspension.
Xbox is introducing a new enforcement strike system, adding transparency to its safety systems.
From today, every enforcement of bad behaviour will have a strike attached with an appropriate severity.
The maximum severity, after eight strikes, will be a year's suspension from Xbox social features like multiplayer, messaging, parties, and party chat.
Strikes will still allow access to single-player games and purchased content. However, for the most serious violations (like illegal activity), Xbox retains the right to permanently suspend accounts from all activity.
After two strikes, players will be suspended for one day, while four strikes will result in a seven day suspension. All strikes will remain on a player's record for six months.
Players will be able to view their enforcement history, including the impact strikes have on their record. Families will also be able to view the history of members in the same group.
The aim of the update is to improve the transparency of Xbox safety systems for everyone and follows on from last month's introduction of voice reporting to combat toxicity.
News of the strike system has been shared on the Xbox Wire blog by Dave McCarthy, CVP Xbox player services.
Said McCarthy: "We are constantly improving our safety measures and bringing more systems and tools in place that empower players to respectfully interact with one another – because everyone deserves a place to comfortably be themselves online, free from harassment and bullying."