Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Virginia Senator Mark R. Warner penned an open letter to Valve CEO Gabe Newell on Friday, urging him and other leadership to better moderate hateful content on Steam. In the letter, he calls Steam an “unsafe place for teens and young adults to purchase and play online games.”
Warner published the letter he sent to Gabe Newell on his website. In it, he cites a recent investigative report from the Anti-Defamation League that discovered 1.8 million unique examples of extremist or hateful content on Steam. This includes racist, antisemitic, and sexist posts made using Steam’s social features. Warner goes on to list lines from Steam’s online conduct policy, urging the company to enforce them and bring their moderation in line with industry standards.
Warner closes his letter by suggesting increased government scrutiny on Steam if Valve does not comply with the moderation demands. Gabe Newell and Valve have yet to respond to the letter.