Steam Moderation Tools

[Mickk]

I think steam should have tools (possibly automated) to detect when a user is posting in a forum where they have been banned.

I have noticed some users upon being banned from a forum will simply create a new account and head straight back to the forum where they were banned to continue with the same activity that got them banned in the first place.

In an instance when this activity is detected I think the penalty should be revoking all community privileges from the user. That would mean all the accounts previously created or in the future by the same individual have no access to any of the community features and not just forum posting privileges. This would mean that the user can still buy games and use them including any the already have purchased but because of their flagrant breach of the rules all of their community activity would cease immediately.

There are already rules in place to enable such a penalty but I am unsure if there are tools in use to detect alternative accounts. It is not a simple thing for a user (like me or you) to detect when another user is doing this but it can be found. If a moderation tool (possibly automated) was implemented to allow detection of such activity I think it could cut down on the need for users to report this activity when it is detected by a user.

I know of several accounts that would be in breach of this rule and I think a firmer hand should be used when dealing with such activity.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Originally posted by Mickk:

Steam Moderation Tools

I think steam should have tools (possibly automated) to detect when a user is posting in a forum where they have been banned.

I have noticed some users upon being banned from a forum will simply create a new account and head straight back to the forum where they were banned to continue with the same activity that got them banned in the first place.

In an instance when this activity is detected I think the penalty should be revoking all community privileges from the user. That would mean all the accounts previously created or in the future by the same individual have no access to any of the community features and not just forum posting privileges. This would mean that the user can still buy games and use them including any the already have purchased but because of their flagrant breach of the rules all of their community activity would cease immediately.

There are already rules in place to enable such a penalty but I am unsure if there are tools in use to detect alternative accounts. It is not a simple thing for a user (like me or you) to detect when another user is doing this but it can be found. If a moderation tool (possibly automated) was implemented to allow detection of such activity I think it could cut down on the need for users to report this activity when it is detected by a user.

I know of several accounts that would be in breach of this rule and I think a firmer hand should be used when dealing with such activity.

Support moderators have these tools. Don't know if they use them, are allowed to use them or care enough to use them.

Game hub mods probably won't have such tools and should rely on help from Steam Support moderators.

[Mickk]

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

Originally posted by Mickk:

Steam Moderation Tools

I think steam should have tools (possibly automated) to detect when a user is posting in a forum where they have been banned.

I have noticed some users upon being banned from a forum will simply create a new account and head straight back to the forum where they were banned to continue with the same activity that got them banned in the first place.

In an instance when this activity is detected I think the penalty should be revoking all community privileges from the user. That would mean all the accounts previously created or in the future by the same individual have no access to any of the community features and not just forum posting privileges. This would mean that the user can still buy games and use them including any the already have purchased but because of their flagrant breach of the rules all of their community activity would cease immediately.

There are already rules in place to enable such a penalty but I am unsure if there are tools in use to detect alternative accounts. It is not a simple thing for a user (like me or you) to detect when another user is doing this but it can be found. If a moderation tool (possibly automated) was implemented to allow detection of such activity I think it could cut down on the need for users to report this activity when it is detected by a user.

I know of several accounts that would be in breach of this rule and I think a firmer hand should be used when dealing with such activity.

Support moderators have these tools. Don't know if they use them.

Game hub mods probably won't have such tools and should rely on help from Steam Support moderators.

:winterbunny2023:

I would not expect volunteer moderators to have access to tools like this but they would have the ability to escalate a report they are looking into to a higher level possibly even making their own notes for the next level support to read along side the report itself.

I would like to think that 'valve' employees have this ability.
Creating a method to have this process automated I think would be a good idea.
(when the same person is posting on an alt account while another account they have is banned)

I think this sort of activity by a user is an egregious breach of the rules and should be treated
with a heavy hand.
There should be a manner to appeal for the offending person but I can not think of any reason that would be good enough to excuse such behaviour.

If a user has made enough of a mistake to be banned they can appeal that decision. They should not be circumventing a penalty by creating a new account. The penalty should be permanent if they attempt to circumvent the rules in this manner.

[Ben Lubar]

Accounts are banned, not people.

[Mickk]

Originally posted by Ben Lubar:

Accounts are banned, not people.

People create the accounts and perform the activity on the account therefore the people can be held to account for the activity.
You can not claim to any policing body that the activity your account did was not you unless you can specifically prove that.

Straight from steam Code of Conduct ...
"creating a false identity for the purpose of misleading others"
In this case the deception is on all the forum users and officials by an already banned user.

From steams rules and guidelines ...
Examples of prohibited conduct include:
-deception
In this case the deception is by the banned user posting when they are already banned.

I do think there might be more instances in the existing rules where this sort of activity is in breach.

[Nx Machina]

They have those tools to see linked accounts but for whatever reason choose not to use them which is odd when a post such as this exist.

i make it a personal goal to get banned almost every day, so i can just load up another free throw away steam account and upset the same 20 people so they have a mental meltdown and cry to steam support.

[Gwarsbane]

Originally posted by Mickk:

I would not expect volunteer moderators to have access to tools like this but they would have the ability to escalate a report they are looking into to a higher level possibly even making their own notes for the next level support to read along side the report itself.

I would like to think that 'valve' employees have this ability.
Creating a method to have this process automated I think would be a good idea.
(when the same person is posting on an alt account while another account they have is banned)

I think this sort of activity by a user is an egregious breach of the rules and should be treated
with a heavy hand.
There should be a manner to appeal for the offending person but I can not think of any reason that would be good enough to excuse such behaviour.

If a user has made enough of a mistake to be banned they can appeal that decision. They should not be circumventing a penalty by creating a new account. The penalty should be permanent if they attempt to circumvent the rules in this manner.

Automating this kind of stuff is NOT a good idea. That would end up with too many false positives, like people in the same building (apartment complex or flat mates sharing an internet connection, or some other building) being banned just because they have the same IP or heck even post from the same computer now and then because they were on lunch break and wanted to post something.

There is no easy way to detect people using alt accounts, you have to actually connect the dots with stuff they are saying, and how they are posting...

But even when they say stuff like

i make it a personal goal to get banned almost every day, so i can just load up another free throw away steam account and upset the same 20 people so they have a mental meltdown and cry to steam support.

They still don't get banned with the current Steam moderation setup. (and yes, the above quote was said by an actual user who is well known for having a bunch of alt accounts).

So ya, don't count on anything being done any time soon.




Edit
And ninjaed by Nx Machina with the same quote lol

[Mickk]

Originally posted by Nx Machina:

They have those tools to see linked accounts but for whatever reason choose not to use them which is odd when a post such as this exist.

i make it a personal goal to get banned almost every day, so i can just load up another free throw away steam account and upset the same 20 people so they have a mental meltdown and cry to steam support.

Thank you Nx Machina and thank you everyone for your input. Some input allows me to expand of my premise and show in more light what I am referring to.

It is exactly the quoted behaviour you show Nx Machina that I am referring to. Some people have such little respect for the rules they are prepared to spend a few dollars to continue with their bad behaviour and I think steps should be put in place to more permanently stop this sort of thing happening.

[Mickk]

Originally posted by Gwarsbane:

Originally posted by Mickk:

I would not expect volunteer moderators to have access to tools like this but they would have the ability to escalate a report they are looking into to a higher level possibly even making their own notes for the next level support to read along side the report itself.

I would like to think that 'valve' employees have this ability.
Creating a method to have this process automated I think would be a good idea.
(when the same person is posting on an alt account while another account they have is banned)

I think this sort of activity by a user is an egregious breach of the rules and should be treated
with a heavy hand.
There should be a manner to appeal for the offending person but I can not think of any reason that would be good enough to excuse such behaviour.

If a user has made enough of a mistake to be banned they can appeal that decision. They should not be circumventing a penalty by creating a new account. The penalty should be permanent if they attempt to circumvent the rules in this manner.

Automating this kind of stuff is NOT a good idea. That would end up with too many false positives, like people in the same building (apartment complex or flat mates sharing an internet connection, or some other building) being banned just because they have the same IP or heck even post from the same computer now and then because they were on lunch break and wanted to post something.

There is no easy way to detect people using alt accounts, you have to actually connect the dots with stuff they are saying, and how they are posting...

But even when they say stuff like

i make it a personal goal to get banned almost every day, so i can just load up another free throw away steam account and upset the same 20 people so they have a mental meltdown and cry to steam support.

They still don't get banned with the current Steam moderation setup. (and yes, the above quote was said be an actual user who is well known for having a bunch of alt accounts).

So ya, don't count on anything being done any time soon.

Nicely said Gwarsbane but IP address is not the only way to detect this behaviour. I do think those apartment block situations you refer to are something that should change anyway, it is just a easy way for company's to provide a lesser service to their customers when they can provide the service better.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by Mickk:

Thank you Nx Machina and thank you everyone for your input. Some input allows me to expand of my premise and show in more light what I am referring to.

It is exactly the quoted behaviour you show Nx Machina that I am referring to. Some people have such little respect for the rules they are prepared to spend a few dollars to continue with their bad behaviour and I think steps should be put in place to more permanently stop this sort of thing happening.

The issue of alt abuse is known yet not actioned, although it is acknowledged.

Your history of spamming, bypassing bans, and abusing the Steam Rules & Guidelines is well documented. We won't be removing any bans associated with that behavior.

In fact there are threads where an alt/s responds to a thread they created.

[Tito Shivan]

Paid mods have Steam Support level accounts. Of course Steam can know when a user is posting from an alt account. And it's not like several of the worst offenders right not try the slightest to hide the fact it's them under a new identity (Some even gloat having a large number of alts to troll).

However under whatever playbook they're now following to moderate it seems it's not a priority to curb toxic users from returning, unfortunately.

Which can lead to situations where a thread where a user is posting under multiple identities to agree with himself and inadvertely bump the thread only gets banned on one of the accounts, rendering the act of banning largely irrelevant.

This is now how Steam has decided to run the forums and these are the horses we have to race with.

[Mickk]

Originally posted by Tito Shivan:

Paid mods have Steam Support level accounts. Of course Steam can know when a user is posting from an alt account. And it's not like several of the worst offenders right not try the slightest to hide the fact it's them under a new identity (Some even gloat having a large number of alts to troll).

However under whatever playbook they're now following to moderate it seems it's not a priority to curb toxic users from returning, unfortunately.

Which can lead to situations where a thread where a user is posting under multiple identities to agree with himself and inadvertely bump the thread only gets banned on one of the accounts, rendering the act of banning largely irrelevant.

This is now how Steam has decided to run the forums and these are the horses we have to race with.

I agree that in some instances the users that are performing this act are so blatant about it to simply admit as much and there are others where it is not openly stated but with a little investigation a user like myself can find evidence of it happening.

My Suggestion is that this sort of behaviour be curtailed.
Those users found in breach should have all their community privileges for all of their accounts permanently revoked. Said accounts can still use the games in their library and use the store to purchase games but when it can be shown they are circumventing community penalty's then all of those privileges are revoked permanently including any future attempts by said person to do the same in the future. Those kinds of users are forever flagged as 'untrustworthy' in the same manner as a "VAC Ban" is a stain on their profile so should this be.
-No posting
-No marketplace
-No 'any other community privileges' whatever they are.

[William Shakesman]

Originally posted by Mickk:

I think steam should have tools (possibly automated) to detect when a user is posting in a forum where they have been banned.

I have noticed some users upon being banned from a forum will simply create a new account and head straight back to the forum where they were banned to continue with the same activity that got them banned in the first place.

In an instance when this activity is detected I think the penalty should be revoking all community privileges from the user. That would mean all the accounts previously created or in the future by the same individual have no access to any of the community features and not just forum posting privileges. This would mean that the user can still buy games and use them including any the already have purchased but because of their flagrant breach of the rules all of their community activity would cease immediately.

There are already rules in place to enable such a penalty but I am unsure if there are tools in use to detect alternative accounts. It is not a simple thing for a user (like me or you) to detect when another user is doing this but it can be found. If a moderation tool (possibly automated) was implemented to allow detection of such activity I think it could cut down on the need for users to report this activity when it is detected by a user.

I know of several accounts that would be in breach of this rule and I think a firmer hand should be used when dealing with such activity.

There's no problem here. If he makes an alt and violates the rules again, he gets banned again. If he makes an alt and doesn't violate the rules, everyone wins. There is nothing to be gained from stomping your feet and getting mad when people disrespect bans. Just block and ignore and STOP PROVOKING THEM. People need to learn how the internet works and take some personal responsibility for once.