Are you a fan of Swapnote? If so, have you received any inappropriate notes via the service? Apparently, many have received and sent such notes. Although Nintendo has not identified what types of offensive material have been sent via Swapnote, they have deemed it unsafe enough to suspend the service for the time being. THe […]
Essel Pratt·November 1, 2013
Are you a fan of Swapnote? If so, have you received any inappropriate notes via the service? Apparently, many have received and sent such notes. Although Nintendo has not identified what types of offensive material have been sent via Swapnote, they have deemed it unsafe enough to suspend the service for the time being. THe services were officially stopped at 7PM PST on October 31, 2013.
“Nintendo has learned that some consumers, including minors, have been exchanging their friend codes on Internet bulletin boards and then using Swapnote (known as Nintendo Letter Box in other regions) to exchange offensive material,” reads a Nintendo statement on the company’s website. “Nintendo has been investigating ways of preventing this and determined it is best to stop the SpotPass feature of Swapnote because it allows direct exchange of photos and was actively misused.”
Nintendo defends their position by stating the following:
“Nintendo always wants to provide a positive experience for all consumers and limit the risk of any inappropriate activity or misuse of a service. We feel it is important on this occasion to take this action.”
What are your thoughts on the suspension of Swapnote? Are they being too overprotective, or is there never enough protection?
Share your perspective. Keep it thoughtful, welcoming and on topic.
It's the users' fault, not Nintendo's. I think what Nintendo did was the right (though very sad) thing to do.
It's right on Nintendo; they take a family approach which is ironically the position they've become to children since parents don't know about parental control, so Ninty has to take away the toys themselves.
And yeah I've send lude photos to my friends as gags. But we're all adults so nobody cares.
Mike, I have not received such photos…I thought we were friends. Of course, I am kidding.
I have to disagree. Is this the kind of action we have come to expect from Nintendo? Yes. Can I "accept" Nintendo doing it? Yes. Is it "RIGHT?" No. This problem could've been fixed in another way (maybe not an easy way, but another way nonetheless). Make any user who wants to send or receive SwapNotes, via SpotPass, wether a registered friend or not, should have to input credit card info to verify age (and hell, still put another pop-up or two that have to be acknowledged/accepted so the end-user knows what they are agreeing to). Nintendo can be family friendly without taking away MY, ADULT, RIGHTS. What next: Nintendo going to disable the web browser because you can visit "adult" sites?
Also, how can Nintendo go so overboard, have such a knee-jerk reaction, and still try to say they want (and don't understand why they aren't getting) content like GTA V? I'm not saying Nintendo needs to make content like this, or that they even have to have such content, but don't say you do and then pull something like this.
Devil, this really came down to the lesser of two evils. Any kind of legal trouble Nintendo would have would be from parents that don't know you can watch what your child is doing and control those things. Clearly there was a lot more of explicit content than we realized going on there, and I'm sure that they were actually confronted by a bunch of angry parents, why else would they suddenly do this? Dealing with the legality of it and all the negative press they'd get for having lawsuits charged against them is definitely more of an issue than the negative press we as fans and aware consumers can give them. It sucks, but I'm sure there were reasons on top of the "sending of explicit material" that we're not hearing about for reasons we don't know. They can't really control the internet…but they CAN control their own product, which Swapnote is. It's not really taking away your rights either (and as much of an adult right we have to send out our junk to other people, it's not really a pleasant thing to do, lol), this isn't the only form of communication they had.
And to be fair, Swapnote kinda sucked. Only one photo per note, you couldn't have multiple colors on one slide and it took forever for them to implement the ability to have multiple colors on a single note to begin with.
And Essel if I had realized you wanted to see me making random faces at stuff and sending out the occasional boob photo, I'd have added you on my 3DS 😛
@ Mike & Essel ))
For the record, I want to make something VERY CLEAR: I am PARTIALLY playing devil's advocate here, ONLY because I have, but have never used, Nintendo SwapNote. That having been said, my statements are still true and valid. It IS my right to use my system how I want. No, Nintendo is NOT providing a service, they are providing a platform to enable a service, just like having the web browser is a platform to enable a service. Nintendo has NO liability in how that service is used. B,W is not held or expected to be responsible if they make the best performing, best handling car possible to purchase, so said car becomes the go-to vehicle for bank robberies. Now, while I'm not saying that SwapNote is the "best performing, best handling" vessel for said messages, but Nintendo IS NOT responsible for what is done with it. Period.
Now, as to my statement that you quoted, I used GTA V specifically for several reasons. I was a Soldier in the U.S. Army Infantry for ten and a half years. I the period of time, I cannot remember seeing a single person play ANY GTA without just running around, killing cops, picking up hookers (to only kill them and get their money back), and ultimately doing NOTHING BUT unsavory, distinctly NON-FAMILY actions, yet this website even had an article where Reggie Fils Amie himself expressed an interest to get the franchise to Nintendo platforms. The people who buy these games, and play those games (ESPECIALLY in the manner I mentioned) WILL NOT support a platform that does actions like this.
So, this all leads me back to what are essentially my two points/counter arguments:
1) At what point is Nintendo's censorship NOT ok? Will it be ok when they disable the web browser due to "access to adult content?" How about when they get rid of everyone's Miis because "a large number of people" start creating Mii faces that look like breasts or phalic symbols?
2) Either Nintendo creates the platform and simply accepts that the content that comes to it will be what it is, or they block "distasteful" content and accept what comes with that. Understand, I personally do not buy, play, or support games like GTA, but I also don't complain about Nintendo not getting said games.
(And as a complete aside note LordLemmy, I don't appreciate the condescension in your Mr. Grown-Up; I always try to address everyone here properly and with respect. Just wanted to throw that out there.)
Sounds like idiots such as MikeIsaPoet are to blame here. Sending these things as "gags" is what everyone is going to claim. There's really no way for Nintendo to truly verify who are adults and who are minors.
And if you're an adult, learn the difference lude and lewd.
Lou do you have personality disorders, or do you just decide your moral compass before you make every individual post? Because you're a damn hypocrite, never wanting to pick fights but you're quick to call me an idiot, and then try to say that I'm not an adult which would infer that you are?
And yeah, I used the wrong word, I'm finna go maim myself and send it to all my friends on Swapnote to prove a point. You act like you've been perfect on here.
It's pretty simple, you were engaged in the type of activity that forced Nintendo to shut down this service, so yes, I think you're an idiot.
You're just mad your ass isn't glorious enough to show to the world.
Yes because my once in a blue moon sending of tits or even more infrequent drawing of a butt that at the end of the note turns into a duck (I wish I could show this) made Nintendo snap. It totally wasn't parents complaining and threatening them over their child getting much more harmful content from random friends. Nope, it was me and all my other friends.
If you want to take pot shots at me you need to do better.
There is nothing I can say to illustrate what a fool you are that is better than your own responses. Bravo.
Thanks, I actually think before I speak, unlike you.
I'm sorry I'm not some perfect adult like you are that gives you the right to condescend upon me. Should I also be chastised for lying about not being 18 years ago when I wanted to watch adult content?
It's the users' fault, not Nintendo's. I think what Nintendo did was the right (though very sad) thing to do.
It's right on Nintendo; they take a family approach which is ironically the position they've become to children since parents don't know about parental control, so Ninty has to take away the toys themselves.
And yeah I've send lude photos to my friends as gags. But we're all adults so nobody cares.
Mike, I have not received such photos…I thought we were friends. Of course, I am kidding.
I have to disagree. Is this the kind of action we have come to expect from Nintendo? Yes. Can I "accept" Nintendo doing it? Yes. Is it "RIGHT?" No. This problem could've been fixed in another way (maybe not an easy way, but another way nonetheless). Make any user who wants to send or receive SwapNotes, via SpotPass, wether a registered friend or not, should have to input credit card info to verify age (and hell, still put another pop-up or two that have to be acknowledged/accepted so the end-user knows what they are agreeing to). Nintendo can be family friendly without taking away MY, ADULT, RIGHTS. What next: Nintendo going to disable the web browser because you can visit "adult" sites?
Also, how can Nintendo go so overboard, have such a knee-jerk reaction, and still try to say they want (and don't understand why they aren't getting) content like GTA V? I'm not saying Nintendo needs to make content like this, or that they even have to have such content, but don't say you do and then pull something like this.
Devil, this really came down to the lesser of two evils. Any kind of legal trouble Nintendo would have would be from parents that don't know you can watch what your child is doing and control those things. Clearly there was a lot more of explicit content than we realized going on there, and I'm sure that they were actually confronted by a bunch of angry parents, why else would they suddenly do this? Dealing with the legality of it and all the negative press they'd get for having lawsuits charged against them is definitely more of an issue than the negative press we as fans and aware consumers can give them. It sucks, but I'm sure there were reasons on top of the "sending of explicit material" that we're not hearing about for reasons we don't know. They can't really control the internet…but they CAN control their own product, which Swapnote is. It's not really taking away your rights either (and as much of an adult right we have to send out our junk to other people, it's not really a pleasant thing to do, lol), this isn't the only form of communication they had.
And to be fair, Swapnote kinda sucked. Only one photo per note, you couldn't have multiple colors on one slide and it took forever for them to implement the ability to have multiple colors on a single note to begin with.
And Essel if I had realized you wanted to see me making random faces at stuff and sending out the occasional boob photo, I'd have added you on my 3DS 😛
@ Mike & Essel ))
For the record, I want to make something VERY CLEAR: I am PARTIALLY playing devil's advocate here, ONLY because I have, but have never used, Nintendo SwapNote. That having been said, my statements are still true and valid. It IS my right to use my system how I want. No, Nintendo is NOT providing a service, they are providing a platform to enable a service, just like having the web browser is a platform to enable a service. Nintendo has NO liability in how that service is used. B,W is not held or expected to be responsible if they make the best performing, best handling car possible to purchase, so said car becomes the go-to vehicle for bank robberies. Now, while I'm not saying that SwapNote is the "best performing, best handling" vessel for said messages, but Nintendo IS NOT responsible for what is done with it. Period.
Now, as to my statement that you quoted, I used GTA V specifically for several reasons. I was a Soldier in the U.S. Army Infantry for ten and a half years. I the period of time, I cannot remember seeing a single person play ANY GTA without just running around, killing cops, picking up hookers (to only kill them and get their money back), and ultimately doing NOTHING BUT unsavory, distinctly NON-FAMILY actions, yet this website even had an article where Reggie Fils Amie himself expressed an interest to get the franchise to Nintendo platforms. The people who buy these games, and play those games (ESPECIALLY in the manner I mentioned) WILL NOT support a platform that does actions like this.
So, this all leads me back to what are essentially my two points/counter arguments:
1) At what point is Nintendo's censorship NOT ok? Will it be ok when they disable the web browser due to "access to adult content?" How about when they get rid of everyone's Miis because "a large number of people" start creating Mii faces that look like breasts or phalic symbols?
2) Either Nintendo creates the platform and simply accepts that the content that comes to it will be what it is, or they block "distasteful" content and accept what comes with that. Understand, I personally do not buy, play, or support games like GTA, but I also don't complain about Nintendo not getting said games.
(And as a complete aside note LordLemmy, I don't appreciate the condescension in your Mr. Grown-Up; I always try to address everyone here properly and with respect. Just wanted to throw that out there.)
Sounds like idiots such as MikeIsaPoet are to blame here. Sending these things as "gags" is what everyone is going to claim. There's really no way for Nintendo to truly verify who are adults and who are minors.
And if you're an adult, learn the difference lude and lewd.
Lou do you have personality disorders, or do you just decide your moral compass before you make every individual post? Because you're a damn hypocrite, never wanting to pick fights but you're quick to call me an idiot, and then try to say that I'm not an adult which would infer that you are?
And yeah, I used the wrong word, I'm finna go maim myself and send it to all my friends on Swapnote to prove a point. You act like you've been perfect on here.
It's pretty simple, you were engaged in the type of activity that forced Nintendo to shut down this service, so yes, I think you're an idiot.
You're just mad your ass isn't glorious enough to show to the world.
Yes because my once in a blue moon sending of tits or even more infrequent drawing of a butt that at the end of the note turns into a duck (I wish I could show this) made Nintendo snap. It totally wasn't parents complaining and threatening them over their child getting much more harmful content from random friends. Nope, it was me and all my other friends.
If you want to take pot shots at me you need to do better.
There is nothing I can say to illustrate what a fool you are that is better than your own responses. Bravo.
Thanks, I actually think before I speak, unlike you.
I'm sorry I'm not some perfect adult like you are that gives you the right to condescend upon me. Should I also be chastised for lying about not being 18 years ago when I wanted to watch adult content?