Epic has introduced a new tool for documenting toxic behavior in Fortnite. Players will now have access to voice reporting, which will continuously record voice chats in 5-minute segments for players to submit as evidence to moderators when reporting bullying and other forms of harassment. For anyone under the age of 18, this feature will automatically be turned on.
Fortnite players who are over 18 will have a bit more say over how voice reporting is applied. In the game’s main settings, they’ll have the option to set it as “Always On,” which would apply to every channel they’re in, or “Off When Possible,” which would disable it in Party Channels with friends as long as everyone’s preferences match.
In what’s likely an effort to quell privacy concerns, Epic says audio clips won’t be kept for long and they’ll only be stored locally on the user’s device unless submitted as evidence. And, in those cases, you’ll have to move fast. As each new recording comes in, the previous will be deleted. “This means only the immediate last five minutes of audio is reportable,” Epic said.
Under normal circumstances, audio clips will be auto-deleted either after 14 days or once action has been taken, the company added. If the accused player appeals the decision within that time, it may be extended for another 14 days. However, Epic says it will hold onto an audio clip as long as necessary if legally required to do so.
The move follows similar , Microsoft, Sony and others in the recent past as they attempt to clamp down on harmful online behavior. Earlier this year, alongside reports of abuse in voice chats.