Contrived non-COMM harassment reports.

SSSputnikSSSputnik ✭✭✭✭✭
edited February 2021 in General

COMM abuse is mostly transparent - the evidence is right there on COMM.

I have seen a number of instances where players have been unfairly accused of harassment/intimidation outside of the COMM system.

This often leads to an official warning/strike from NIAOps.

If such an incident has taken place, well and good.

The issue is, if the alleged incident was submitted out of pure malice/hope the offender would be banned and never actually took place; or was exaggerated beyond reality.

The accused cannot defend themselves as NIAOps will not discuss cases / decisions are final etc.

The accused get's a black mark against their name which precludes them from a number of activities. (Like PoC for an event as an example).

The accused is also resentful of the NIAOps system because they have been falsely accused.

The accused will likely cease interaction of any kind with the complainant which has a negative impact on teams play.

It emboldens the accuser to re-use the same tactic on the person, or on others as a way to stop opposition.

This seems blatantly unfair and I advocate that without actual evidence, (he said, she said does not count here) and a chance for the accused to defend themselves players should NOT receive a strike for this.

Can this please be raised? @NianticBrian @Azhreia

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Comments

  • mortuusmortuus ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021

    a local agent got temp banned recently too for not something that should have lead to a ban. But players that have written real threats in comm and irl have not gotten banned and can continue play like nothing happend. i also think that cross faction comms are too toxic today and should be removed since ppl just looking for loopholes to report agents for smallest things.. fair play dont exist much today..

  • HydracyanHydracyan ✭✭✭✭✭

    I don't think crosscomm should be removed, but instead just stop support to accept whatever lies is tell and only take action if real threats is happening. Trivial conversation and jokes are considered as harassment.

    Maybe instead of removing, just shorten the radius, to only allow close agents to talk, or add private messages, that way only the offended can report.


    Other mistake is that support don't tell you with statement is being reported, so you have absolutely no clue about what you did wrong. You spend a entire day talking, and got reported by something of 3 months ago, you will be clueless. That's not just wrong but dumb.

  • SSSputnikSSSputnik ✭✭✭✭✭

    I think remove it.

    There are other channels to communicate with the other faction than COMM.

    Hydracyan has some good ideas.

    I've seen mass reports by multiple people that have resulted in multiple warnings from NIAOps for single incidents. Direct message COMM would stop mass reportings. (Have a report button that sends the message and your IGN direct to NIAOps.

    I still think removing xfac COMM is simpler.

  • Don't know how this would work programming wise, not my area, but I like the idea of having the public comms channels removed, but there being a direct message system instead. If you want to message an unfamiliar agent, you could initiate a "communication request" of some sort in game that the receiving agent would need to accept, similar to how sending a new direct message in Facebook messenger or hangouts must be accepted. Afterwards agents could converse with one another securely in game without always having to rely on Telegram, Slack, HO, etc.

    You never have to accept a comm request, can block a conversation from continuing at any point, and maybe even have the option to block all incoming requests if you don't want to deal with it.

    Nothing good comes from xfac comms. The current reporting system does have a section for in-person harassment which can of course happen. How such complains are processed are a mystery. You are not allowed to photograph or film another agent, so how does one prove such harassment to Niantic? Maybe they act because not acting is more of a liability in cases where the harassment is real?

  • eigoodeigood ✭✭✭

    I have been playing a bit more destructively lately; I killed an ENL farm twice last week on back-to-back days. A local frog farms that area, but he doesn't glyph, so struggles with gear. He has been harassing me in xCOMM nearly every day. Today, he sent a message saying he would defend himself if I came near him. I never go near him. I just see green, and replace it with blue(I'm also a microfielder). His last message is setting himself up to be a victim, and I'm afraid of how others would respond.

    I've submitted 3 abuse reports via the Remy support bot, but have not noticed any changes on his end(he has been chattering every day). He is also attacking other smurfs who drive through areas he likes.

    There really does need to be better policing of this service, as now I am beginning to fear physical retaliation, but since this is a virtual game, local authorities won't actually do anything.

    ps: I am not engaging him in comms.

  • mortuusmortuus ✭✭✭✭✭

    should be easy for niantic take action for verbal abuse in comm u think.... it should be the first rule to get someone banned its when write bad things in comm **** other agents.. never ok... niantic should be harder on this when getting those reports in.

  • XK150XK150 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2021

    No. Direct messaging would be worse. With public comms, there are at least witnesses to abuse.

    That said, where do all you jokers live that Comms is so vicious? We don't have these problems in Ann Arbor.

  • ArtilectZedArtilectZed ✭✭✭✭✭

    Block him?

    Don't let his BS get through to your screen.

  • This is usually the first thing Niantic seems to look at too. If you've blocked someone their accusations that you're harassing them are less likely to actually land.

  • HydracyanHydracyan ✭✭✭✭✭

    Any place with cheaters who think nobody is seeing. A simple question became a threat because "how dare you question me?" things.

  • Otrera35Otrera35 ✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2021

    Besides the Cross-Faction COMMs; the Faction COMM can also be exploited wherein a backpack account can be created to hound other agents in a subtle manner. In addition, other forms of communication (i.e., Telegram, Slack, etc) can be abused and used to snare unsuspecting agents.

  • TheKingEngineTheKingEngine ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2021

    The issue is, if the alleged incident was submitted out of pure malice/hope the offender would be banned and never actually took place; or was exaggerated beyond reality.

    Is it possible for someone maliciously make some fake proof such as police report and instantly make NIA OPS believe that a player harassed him/her in reality? I've smelled several cases on the forum where players are banned for 30 days because of hara.ssment on the field (not in COMM) that might involves such "tactic".

    Post edited by TheKingEngine on
  • It is Illegal to **** or **** someone no matter the reason. If the cops don't do there jobs then take it higher up. If that doesn't work Sue!!!

    Make sure you bring up the game and take screenshots when things are said to protect yourself. Time dates exc. The game controllers can also beheld responsible as well. Contact or no contact. They don't trump state or federal laws

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