Helping you stay safe on PlayStation Network: Code of Conduct explained

When you first create a PlayStation Network account you’ll be presented with a ‘Code of Conduct’ that we ask you read and agree to before you can continue. While we try and be as clear as possible in that form, we’ve seen a few common questions arise over time. So here are four things you need to know about our code of conduct, and how it’s helping us all stay safe while using PlayStation Network.

1. The code of conduct’s built to make PSN safe and enjoyable for everybody

While you are certainly entitled to think whatever you like, we must ask that players always adhere to the Community Code of Conduct to help us make PSN as safe and enjoyable as we can for everyone. The Code of Conduct applies to everything you say or do on PlayStation Network including but not limited to: the Online ID you create for yourself; the images and text within your profile; anything you create or share within games.

2. Communities can be made private, but they still need to be safe for all

There are certain types of content PlayStation will not allow to be posted to Communities – or anywhere else on PSN for that matter – regardless of how you may have named the community. These include, but are not limited to: abuse, pornography or highly-sexualised content, or any kind of discrimination. PSN is a place that everybody should be able to enjoy.

3. Bans will only happen with good reason, and only after a case has been reviewed.

Bans aren’t instantaneous or automatic. If you violate the Code of Conduct, a human moderator will then review and classify the case. The nature of the offence and your behavioural history is all taken into account.

4. Help the moderation team by giving a brief description when reporting another player

If in doubt, always report. So long as a report is submitted in good faith players shouldn’t have to worry about being punished for reporting bad things.

Still, it helps moderators greatly when players explain their issue in the reporter description field, especially if it’s an obscure issue or something difficult to spot. The only way you’d get in trouble for reporting something is if you reported something innocent multiple times.

The moderation team are there to help you and keep PSN safe for everyone. Removing inappropriate content from PSN is a big part of the job, but an equally important part of the job is educating players on how we expect them to behave – that’s why we always send an email or system message when we find a Code of Conduct violation (and, for that matter, why we’re writing this article!), as the last thing we want is to do is ban any of our players.

That said, we also don’t want any of our players’ experience on PlayStation to be ruined by those not obeying the Code of Conduct, so we take this responsibility seriously and will take action when necessary to keep the network as safe as possible.

Read more in our “Helping you stay safe on PlayStation Network” series: