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PayPalAustralia's eSafety agency sent legal notices to Valve / Steam, Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite to explain how they're fighting sexual predators and extremists.
In a statement published today, all those mentioned are now legally required to respond on how they're combating a mixture of concerns eSafety have including how they're dealing with sexual predators grooming children and extremist groups that spread violent propaganda and radicalise young people.
From the statement: "We've seen numerous media reports about grooming taking place on all four of these platforms as well as terrorist and violent extremist-themed gameplay. This includes Islamic State-inspired games and recreations of mass shootings on Roblox, as well as far right groups recreating fascist imagery in Minecraft." said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, "Media reports have also pointed to games in Fortnite gamifying the horrific events of the WWII Jasenovac concentration camp and the January 6th US Capitol Building riots, while Steam is reportedly a hub for a number of extreme-right communities".
All companies involved risk fines of up to AU$825,000 a day if they do not comply.
Much like the UK, Australia has their own "Online Safety Act" all platforms need to adhere to, which includes their own "Online Safety Codes and Standards". They also more recently added the "Age-Restricted Material Codes" which appears to require age verification too for various things that Valve and others need to implement. Breaching those codes can have huge penalties too of "up to $49.5 million per breach".
So it seems Valve and other companies have work to do.
I've emailed Valve press to see if they have anything to share on this.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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We've seen numerous media reports about grooming taking place on all four of these platforms...Well, yeah... different kinds of media outlets publicize all kind of reports. That doesn't mean they are good reports and it doesn't mean what they report has to be true. I've seen reports that claim that all gamers are just waiting to run amok or that aliens have visited.
Why are people in the government relying on random media reports. Didn't they think to check for themselves?
... as well as terrorist and violent extremist-themed gameplay.By that definition that does include Counterstrike. Are we at that point again? I feel like we've been there ~25 years ago.
... as well as far right groups recreating fascist imagery in Minecraft.This might come as a aurprise, but you can also do that stuff in Photoshop. I don't like it but that doesn't mean that Adobe should be forced to take action. I am not a Minecraft player, but aren't the worlds selfhosted?
Also, how do you expect MS to limit this kind of creativity in a game that allows for creativity in the first place? It's already impossible to make people not say unwanted things in simple text-chat, how the heck is that supposed to work in Minecraft?
Media reports have also pointed to games in Fortnite gamifying the horrific events...I am also not a Fortnite player. Does that game have a sandbox mode?
... while Steam is reportedly a hub for a number of extreme-right communitiesReportedly? Didn't they care to check for themselves? I feel whenever you are trying to pass a law, you should not rely on hearsay.
Now don't get me wrong, I am all for not having kids run into extremists and predators online – but I have no idea how Australia's eSafety agency imagines this is going to work in detail. Or perhaps they just don't.
Quoting: neolithbut I have no idea how Australia's eSafety agency imagines this is going to work in detail. Or perhaps they just don't.My guess would be, they don't.
They probably just want the devs/companies they are contacting to tell them how they tackle those issues so they themselves won't have to do anything.
Some of the wording is a bit nonsensical, though, I agree.
How exactly do you want to stop someone from, idk, building some swastika-looking things? You can't.
And anything that allows peer 2 peer communication can in theory be abused by one group or another to do their communication in.
At least for Valve/Steam, though, as far as I know message get auto-checked / auto-modded before publishing?
I assume these "reports" they are talking about Steam being a "hub" for one group or another is probably some milquetoast stuff like those "isitwoke" etc curator groups?
I mean, I'd gladly remove any political culture war nonsense from gaming, so getting rid of those would not exactly make me shed tears. However, I do not believe there is really a basis for this.
Yes, all of this feels A LOT like amateur hour - which is unfortunately kind of normal whenever politicians get involved in anything even remotely out of their interest/age group.
Last edited by TheSHEEEP on 22 Apr 2026 at 9:37 am UTC
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