Earlier this month, Microsoft gleefully rolled out a feature Xbox Live users had been clamoring for since the beginning; the ability to use a custom photo as a Gamerpic.
However, as quickly as Microsoft giveth it also taketh away. It has taken only a week for the firm to get ban happy for no logical reason whatsoever.
A police officer saw his account suspended for 24 hours after changing his Gamerpic to an image (yes, the one above) of a fellow officer clutching a folder American flag (via Neowin).
Curiously, a Microsoft customer rep told Lee to “refrain from putting any police or military photos” to avoid a repeat suspension.
Given the most popular gaming genre on Xbox consoles involves folks in military uniforms blowing the hell out of each other in graphic detail, it’s a curious stance for Microsoft to take.
In a post on his Facebook page, Lee wrote:
“So last night Xbox Live decided to enact enforcement for having this as my gamer pic. I tried to find out which rule it violated with a customer service representative. That met with the last message he sent me basically stating to avoid this don’t post any photo of police or military related to avoid this further.”
An additional response from Microsoft clarified that ” nudity or lewd material, extreme violence, profane or offensive terms or gestures, or other content designed to sound like, look like, reference, or allude to these topics,” were not allowed.
We’re unsure as to which of these boxes Lee ticked, but let that be a warning to you folks.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
