Square Enix now threatens to send players to jail for criticizing their employees

[Yshnal]

Words have meaning, and your rhetoric so far has been incredibly crass when considering that this is merely a policy statement a publicly traded company put out. A piece of text.



Understanding a position is not the same as having that position. I "understand" what you are saying, it's borderline paranoia. It reveals that you have little understanding about the legal system or corporate governance. If the release of some policy statement could have as much wide reaching consequences as you have so far made up, the world would be a much different place than it is. That's what YOU don't understand.



So, which is it, does it, or does it not give SE "power"? You literally contradict yourself in a single paragraph. That's how little you understand your own words.



No, they don't have to engage the legal system, and never did for terminating a business relationship. So literally, nothing has changed with that regard. They always could have ended business relationships with people that badmouth them on other platforms, they just chose not to. Or maybe they indeed did some times, who even knows? They also could always have pursued legal action against people that harassed their employees, with or without the policy statement. The whole point of the statement was to show publicly, that they now intend to use the legal means they always had!

It’s becoming increasingly evident that you're misinterpreting or misrepresenting my argument. Let me clarify:

1. I’ve consistently highlighted that my concern is about how Square-Enix’s discretionary power could be applied, not about any newfound "legal power." There is no contradiction here. They’ve always had the right to terminate service relationships; what’s new is their public articulation of subjective criteria that could lead to unfair enforcement.

2. Yes, words have meaning. When Square-Enix describes "actions that exceed socially acceptable behavior" or "undue demands," they leave room for subjective interpretation, which is what I’m addressing. This vagueness could stifle legitimate consumer feedback, regardless of legal implications.

3. Your assertion that "nothing has changed" overlooks the significance of formalizing such policies publicly. By stating their intention to act on vague standards, Square-Enix risks deterring consumers from expressing valid criticisms for fear of being penalized under broad, undefined terms.

Finally, dismissing valid concerns as "paranoia" or "ignorance" doesn’t engage with the points I’ve made—it merely shifts the conversation away from a reasoned discussion. If you understand my position, then address it directly instead of resorting to strawman arguments.