Playstation Network Gets Revised, More Restrictive ToS

LordDax writes "Sony just rolled out their new Terms of Service for the Playstation Network. The new ToS features additions about the Master & Subaccount relationship, specifically that you can only 'legally' create a sub account for your own child. No friends allowed. Where it really gets interesting is when you get to the additions to section 3.0 Community Code of Conduct. You now can't tell anyone your real name, where you live or basically anything besides your PSN ID. The new ToS also brings to light that SCEA is going to be monitoring every piece of communication and activitiy, and reserves the right to remove any content or communication they find objectionable without having to tell you in interests of SCEA, its users, or licensors. Another addition is: 'Some content may be provided automatically without notice when you sign into PSN. Such content may include automatic updates or upgrades which may change your current operating system, cause a loss of data or content or cause a loss of functionalities or utilities.'"

Re:So....

[NovaHorizon]

hey, someone mod the parent up. If not funny, then at least underrated. He's making a joke by asking something that isn't unheard of to ask commonly in a net based community, and can't be answered according to the ToS..

Re:The point to subaccounts

[walshy007]

and on the other side of the scale, nintendo online, is completely asshat free, but only because they make it so nobody you don't know can send you messages. double edged sword with friend codes, horrible solution, but at least I don't have ten years olds saying N00B F4G!!1

Re:Sounds Very Intrusive.

[Anonymous Coward]

"'Some content may be provided automatically without notice when you sign into PSN. Such content may include automatic updates or upgrades which may change your current operating system, cause a loss of data or content or cause a loss of functionalities or utilities.'"
Plus this allows adverts to be sent to your console and it allows them to change the console OS to allow more adverts.

"The new ToS features additions about the Master & Subaccount relationship, specifically that you can only 'legally' create a sub account for your own child. No friends allowed."
Which fits with the idea of marketing. If they can know only family members are on the account, then any profiling of that user allows more specific marketing and better, cleaner profiling data to sell to other market research companies.

"SCEA is going to be monitoring every piece of communication and activitiy"
i.e. allows them to do any amount of marketing profiling they wish and to sell that data to whoever they wish.

Sony have tried some very intrusive marketing methods in the past. In London, one council took Sony to court for their relentless fly posters on everything. Sony made it look like it was just individuals putting posters on a few things, but it wasn't. It was organised advertising and they were the biggest advertiser by far.

My point is, Sony have little eithics when it comes to advertising. Now they see adverts in games as their new advertising market. They can put adverts in free games, but there is no way I want adverts in games I buy. I want to excape the relentless sales tactics, in a form of entertainment I choose to buy and I don't choose to buy adverts for other things, when its the game I want to focus on. So if they want to bombard me with adverts, no thanks Sony, you'll end up undermining your own market.