Addressing Player Chat Reporting Tool

Player Reporting is a new feature coming to the 1.19.1 release of Minecraft: Java Edition. The tool allows players to report inappropriate chat messages or dangerous behavior and to send reports to our Minecraft moderators for review. 

We’ve received a number of questions since we started testing the Player Reporting tool in our 22w24a snapshot a few weeks ago. For this reason, we want to take the opportunity to answer these questions and clarify some common misconceptions – both in this post and also in our newly released Player Reporting FAQ.

Ensuring the safety of Minecraft players is at the heart of why we are releasing Player Reporting in Java. Without human moderation, online communities can become unwelcoming, toxic, or in some cases, dangerous to the physical security of individuals. We need to provide safeguards that will help keep all of our players safe and welcome in the online environments where they play Minecraft. Player Reporting will be one way to help to keep Minecraft communities free from hate speech, bullying, harassment, sexual solicitation, and personal threats. We believe that human moderation and community guidelines are critical to reducing toxic behavior and promoting healthy Minecraft online communities.  

Can I get banned for swearing/profanity?  

No, we will not ban players just for swearing or profanity. The type of behavior that will get someone suspended or banned is hate speech, bullying, harassment, sexual solicitation, or making true threats to others. Hate speech is talk that is intended to insult, intimidate, or threaten an individual or group based on a trait or attribute of their identity, such as sexual orientation, religion, color, gender, or disability. These behaviors do not belong in Minecraft and will have the consequence of a temporary suspension or permanent ban depending on the severity and frequency.

Does this affect private servers? 

Yes, Player Reporting will function for players who join servers of any size, including private servers. We recognize that private servers function independently from Mojang Studios, and many use that independence to create remarkable Minecraft innovations that enrich the community. But it has always been the case that Minecraft servers of any scale must follow the rules described in the EULA, the Commercial Usage Guidelines, and our Community Standards. Every player should enjoy a safe Minecraft experience wherever they choose to play.

Is my online chat being monitored?

No, we do not monitor traffic or chat on private Java servers, but players can still use the reporting tool when they see actions that break our community standards and feel that Mojang Studios needs to step in.

Are you using bots to moderate my chat?

No, we are not using chat moderation bots that alter or delete chat on private Java servers. We will be relying on players to report dangerous or inappropriate activity to Mojang Studios.

What if someone gets me banned unfairly? 

All player reports will be reviewed by an investigator to make sure the complaint is well-founded so that any suspensions or bans that might result are fair. 

Our investigators are aware of the kind of things that happen in Minecraft and possibilities of misinterpretation – for example, chat messages that relate to combat or other in-game situations. Our investigators understand chat messages can have different meanings depending on the situation and consider that context when reviewing reports. Our investigators also follow the same strict privacy procedures that Mojang Studios follows to protect the privacy of information contained in Player Reports.

If you feel that you’ve been banned unjustly, you may submit an appeal at Case Review Request.

More information 

For more details on how the tool works, check out our Player Reporting FAQ.

If you have feedback about this feature, please provide it on our feedback site.