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PS5 lets you upload voice chats to report abuse

An update made it seem like Sony might listen in on your party chats, but the company says only players will be able to record.

Sean Keane Former Senior Writer
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Sony is making it easier to report online abuse on PS5.

Sony

We've just seen what the PS5 user interface looks like, but Sony is also adding a way to report abuse when you're playing online on its next-gen console. You can upload a recording of your voice chat to the company for moderation, as revealed by a PS4 software update on Wednesday.   

"Please be aware voice chats in parties may be recorded and sent to us by other users," it said in a Party Safety note. "By participating in voice chats, you agree to your voice being recorded."

This, and a pop-up when people created parties, caused some concern that Sony would be listening in on chats, so the company clarified matters in its PlayStation Blog.

Watch this: PS5 Teardown reaction - Everything we learned

"Voice chat recording for moderation is a feature that will be available on PS5 when it launches, and will enable users to record their voice chats on PS5 and submit them for moderation review," it said in a post. "The pop up you're seeing on PS4 right now is to let you know that when you participate in a chat with a PS5 user (post-launch), they may submit those recordings from their PS5 console to SIE."

So it isn't quite the privacy nightmare it appeared to be at first glance -- PS5 players will just be able to tell Sony if their fellow gamers' comments get out of hand while playing multiplayer.

See also: PS5 price, preorder, release date, games, Xbox Series X comparison and more