PlayStation users were surprised to discover that Sony’s latest 8.0 update could give the tech company permission to record voice chats – for moderation purposes.
According to The Verge, the update’s initial release notes “contained no mention of voice recordings”. But they have since been modified to bring clarity to the situation.
“Following this update, users are seeing a notification about Party Safety and that voice chats in parties may be recorded. Voice chat recording for moderation is a feature that will be available on PS5 when it launches and will enable users to record their voice chats on PS5 and submit them for moderation review. The pop up you’re seeing on PS4 right now is to let you know that when you participate in a chat with a PS5 user (post-launch), they may submit those recordings from their PS5 console to SIE.”
Essentially, Sony has revealed that “by joining a voice chat, even with the older PlayStation 4, your voice can be recorded and submitted to Sony for moderation by another user. This could certainly be invasive — in theory, anything you say in a voice chat could be sent to Sony without your explicit consent”.
However, this could also be a very important feature to help ensure the safety and accountability of party members.
Sony Reveals PlayStation 5 Launch Date and Price Tag
Sony has officially announced the launch date as well as the pricing of its newest PlayStation consoles – the PlayStation 5 will retail for $499 while the disc-less PS5 Digital Edition is priced at $399.
Both consoles are expected to become available on 12 November in the US, Japan, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, before launching in the rest of the world on 19 November.
