Nintendo Warns Switch 2 GameChat Users: 'Your Chat Is Recorded' (arstechnica.com)
- Reference: 0177939966
- News link: https://games.slashdot.org/story/25/06/05/2330221/nintendo-warns-switch-2-gamechat-users-your-chat-is-recorded
- Source link: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/06/nintendo-warns-switch-2-gamechat-users-your-chat-is-recorded/
> Last month, ahead of the launch of the Switch 2 and [1]its GameChat communication features , Nintendo [2]updated its [3]privacy policy to note that the company "may also monitor and record your video and audio interactions with other users." Now that the Switch 2 has officially launched, we have a clearer understanding of how the console handles audio and video recorded during GameChat sessions, as well as when that footage may be sent to Nintendo or shared with partners, including law enforcement. Before using GameChat on Switch 2 for the first time, you must consent to a set of GameChat Terms displayed on the system itself. These terms warn that chat content is "recorded and stored temporarily" both on your system and the system of those you chat with. But those stored recordings are only shared with Nintendo if a user reports a violation of [4]Nintendo's Community Guidelines , the company writes.
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> That reporting feature lets a user "review a recording of the last three minutes of the latest three GameChat sessions" to highlight a particular section for review, suggesting that chat sessions are not being captured and stored in full. The terms also lay out that "these recordings are available only if the report is submitted within 24 hours," suggesting that recordings are deleted from local storage after a full day. If a report is submitted to Nintendo, the company warns that it "may disclose certain information to third parties, such as authorities, courts, lawyers, or subcontractors reviewing the reported chats." If you don't consent to the potential for such recording and sharing, you're prevented from using GameChat altogether.
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> Nintendo is extremely clear that the purpose of its recording and review system is "to protect GameChat users, especially minors" and "to support our ability to uphold our Community Guidelines." This kind of human moderator review of chats is pretty common in the gaming world and can even apply to voice recordings made by various smart home assistants. [...] Overall, the time-limited, local-unless-reported recordings Nintendo makes here seem like a minimal intrusion on the average GameChat user's privacy. Still, if you're paranoid about Nintendo potentially seeing and hearing what's going on in your living room, it's good to at least be aware of it.
[1] https://www.nintendo.com/us/nintendo-direct/4-2-2025/?srsltid=AfmBOoq4lO9Wy0Xw7sZNqZZ5EOZdbQx4WmPAzCLvzfGu_Rcna0D9bbn4
[2] https://www.nintendo.com/us/privacy-policy/whats-changed/
[3] https://www.nintendo.com/us/privacy-policy/
[4] https://www.nintendo.com/us/community-guidelines/?srsltid=AfmBOoq-mAHbzdcIN7q8kBPONxq-dm5WM2_fFDG_ec16SRZc0dWkz-Xr
Nothing new under the sun here (Score:2)
One of the big contributing factors to Discord's popularity even with console gamers is so that you aren't risking your console's account for shit-talking another player. It really only makes sense to use a console's built-in chat feature if you know for sure you'll be able to watch your mouth. That becomes even more ironic with games such as the GTA series, where the NPCs are dropping f-bombs left and right, but if you tell another player "Go fuck your momma, you fucking cuntbag!" and they report you out
Remember in the old days? (Score:2)
That if a grown adult were caught tape recording children that the ex-Army school janitor would show them the way outside, hitting every door frame and drinking fountain on the way.
Re: (Score:2)
Good thing Nintendo aren't saving these recordings on their servers then. They're stored locally on each device.
If grown adults are grooming kids on GameChat, I'd hope an ex-Army school janitor shows up at their door.
Yet still (Score:3)
People have been lining up to buy the Switch 2. I really wish we'd push the concept of privacy and how it enhances your life vs using products that constantly mine your every move, thought, or indiscretion.
Re: (Score:2)
Who is mining anything here? Local storage of an audio chat != data mining