17.09 Million Enforcement Made Across Xbox, According to New Transparency Report

Microsoft has released its third Transparency Report. This latest report compiles data collected between January and June 2023, highlighting the company’s efforts to combat online toxicity.

According to Microsoft, Xbox has been making continual efforts to make its ecosystem more safe for players. It reports that 87 percent of total enforcements during this period were through “Xbox’s proactive moderation efforts.” A total of 17.09 million enforcements were taken care of, much through AI, it’s claimed.

Microsoft details that the “responsible use of AI” has been used in order to target toxicity. This includes investments in Community Sift. The company describes this as an “AI-powered human insights-driven content moderation platform.” It’s able to organize and filter billions of human interactions each year. Another platform is Turing Bletchley v3, a multi-lingual model capable of scanning user-generated imagery to ensure it is appropriate.

The company claims that over 4.7 million pieces of content were blocked before reaching players. This resulted in a 39 percent increase over the previous period. Microsoft attributes this heightened success to the use of Turing Bletchley v3.

In addition, it’s reported that 84,000 enforcements regarding harassment, bullying, and hate speech during the latest period. Microsoft states Xbox is actively working to address these forms of toxic behaviour. This latest period saw an increase of 95 percent from the last.

Finally, the company addresses its Community Standard policy. The team has reportedly analyzed how players behave after receiving an enforcement. Microsoft claims that players are less likely to violate the Community Standards after receiving enforcement.

This year, Microsoft introduced its ‘Enforcement Strike System’ as a way to educate players about online safety. With the strike system in place, players can receive a suspension to their account. Depending on the number of strikes, a 21-day suspension could be in the cards. All strikes remain on a player’s record for six months. In 2022, less than one percent of all players received a temporary suspension.