Sony Releases Statement Clarifying Audio Recording on PlayStation 4

Sony has released an official statement regarding the version 8.00 system software update for the PlayStation 4. Users were alarmed when the update informed them that their audio would be recorded when utilizing the PlayStation Party function. Little explanation was given when the update officially went live, outside of a small pop-up that informed users that they were being recorded.

This new statement clarifies the reason for implementing this feature for the PlayStation 4 and that it has to do with the PlayStation 5. Since PlayStation 5 users will be able to chat with PlayStation 4 users through the Party function, adding audio recording was a necessary implementation with this update. The PlayStation 5 will allow users to submit up to forty seconds of audio clips going as far as five minutes back to moderation in case of verbal harassment. These clips can be directly submitted from the PlayStation 5 to the customer service team.

The article mentions the process of moderation that will follow with the release of the PlayStation 5 and how situations regarding verbal harassment will be handled by the mentioned customer service teams. Sony also mentions that there is no setting to stop recording audio when in a voice chat and that this feature is a “necessary function for all players to play online with peace of mind.”