Re: How not to start the day

On Wed, 04 Dec 2024 14:21:12 -0500, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
wrote:

On Wed, 04 Dec 2024 14:14:16 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>

(I also today received a notification that "content of mine has been
removed" because it "violated community guidelines" without any clues
as to what content that was, or how it violated the guidelines. All it
said was "comment", which doesn't really narrow it down much. I've
contacted Steam customer service AGAIN for clarification)

>
If they reply to you and you don't mind sharing it here, I would like
to know exactly what you said that violated their guidelines. I am
very curious.

So, it turns out "the content that violated the community guidelines"
was the exact same comment that earlier got triggered for being
'suspicious content'. (see initial comment if you want the exact
wording).

So, they closed my account for that comment, then -when challenged-
agreed that there was nothing wrong with the comment, and then the
next day deleted it anyway.

I (politely) pressed Steam for details, asking how the comment
violated community guidelines so I could avoid doing so in the future,
and was told:

       "In this case, we do not have any recommendations based
       on the content of your comment, as it does not actually
       appear to include suspicious material."

Nonetheless, they did not restore the comment. (They did suggest I
could repost the comment should I chose ;-)

As stated in other posts, I've no real issue with the underlying
principles behind these actions. Monitoring user activity in order to
prevent account hacks or for purposes of moderation is common sense
practice. What I do take umbrage with is /how/ it is done. There is
-not only on Steam, but other online services- such a lack of
transparency that not even the ADMINISTRATORS understand what
triggered these actions. Worse, action is taken on accounts without
any oversight; the algorithm flags content and action is immediately
taken, leaving the end-user very little recourse.

I was fortunate that Valve restored my account. But unfortunately all
the power is in their hands, and very little is on the other side of
the contract. That is extremely problematic, not just with Steam but
with all other Internet interactions.

I have a significant level of distrust of Valve's platform now. Who
knows what little thing I may say or do that might trigger the
over-eager algorithm? It makes me a lot willing to engage with the
community features (playing online, making comments, writing reviews,
providing artwork), which were one of the major draws of the platform
over its competitors. At least if GOG cancels my account, I don't lose
several (tens of?) thousands of dollars worth of games.