Accounts being suspended over appropriate names

Destai

Kiralyn2000 wrote: »

Aislinna wrote: »

If you have concerns about specific character names, I would suggest submitting a ticket, quoting what Gina said here, explain the concern and ask for an official ruling about it.

If you have concerns about specific character names (that aren't some sort of edgelord/slur/profanity-bypass), I'd say don't bring it to their attention. Because they likely won't notice it until something makes them notice it.

JoeCapricorn wrote: »

Destai wrote: »

Thanks for the additional details, it eases my mind a little bit. Can you please clarify what happens if an account name has YT (YouTube) or TTV (Twitch TV), or matches a handle on those services? I've seen some of my favorite streamers get suspensions and bans over this and my Twitch handle matches on my characters (but doesn't mention YT or Twitch).

This also needs to be addressed. Those should not be grounds for a ban.

If someone had a name advertising some sort of actual goods and services - THAT is a ban.

Personally, I'd consider "YT" or "TTV" to be advertisements for a for-profit 'good or service'. Which means it'd definitely fit your guideline for a ban. But that's just my opinion. /shrug

But those streamers are valuable publicity for the game because they generate and sustain buzz. Are they making money of it, potentially, but ultimately they're bringing in new players and their money into the game. I just feel like ZOS's whole community strategy reeks of hostility, and they wonder why they're not getting positive press.

etchedpixels

Kiralyn2000 wrote: »

Personally, I'd consider "YT" or "TTV" to be advertisements for a for-profit 'good or service'. Which means it'd definitely fit your guideline for a ban. But that's just my opinion. /shrug

So you'd ban say Lucky Ghost because his name is clearly advertising his twitch stream and that makes money ?

ncallstar88

Never mind.

DinoZavr

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

you can't name your character Abnur Tharn but you could name a character Gina Tharn.

i can imagine countless legions of characters named Gina Tharn (and alike) created just because of this kind permission.
Everyone loves Gina!

Tandor

Quoted post has been removed.

Reasonable? Or right?

JoeCapricorn

It honestly sounds like some parts of the TOS need to be rewritten.

Section 2.4, "Derogatory, defamatory or offensive content used in conjunction with names of famous or important historical, political, religious figures or website URL's are not allowed. You will not create an account name that is in reference to or contains proprietary names, popular characters, or the names of modern era serial killers, individuals or groups who have committed crimes against humanity in the past. You will also refrain from participating in conspiracy theories, misinformation or fallacious comments. We expect all users to remain respectful and constructive at all times when using ZeniMax Services."

And Section 6.1, "You will not post, transmit, promote or distribute any dynamic or static user-created or custom content which is not wholly owned by the account owner. Names or material protected by copyright, trademark or other intellectual property rights cannot be used at any time except by the rightsholder. Rights ownership must be established prior to use on any ZeniMax Media, Inc. site or service. Any use of material protected by intellectual property rights that is not wholly owned by the account owner is a violation of the Agreement, including the Code of Conduct."

So, 2.4 has some vagueness about "popular characters" and "proprietary names". I have seen quite a few names that might be considered both, but used in a context of parody or tribute. If people want to name a character after a Nintendo or Disney character they should be allowed - Who knew Luke Skywalker could be an Argonian vampire Templar? Proprietary names, such as any with a trademark after it, are understandable, however - but it should also be a contextual thing. "Nintendo" by itself maybe not. "Plays-the-Nintendo", while being not lore-friendly, is parody/tribute and okay.

6.1 is also kinda vague, but it is particularly difficult to define a "major character". Vagueness invites disproportionate enforcement, and you get instances where one person gets in trouble for doing nothing wrong that many other people do without ever getting in trouble. So what defines a major NPC, a proprietary name or a popular character (I honestly think this term should just be removed from TOS entirely) needs to be codified. Proprietary name is any name that would be followed by a trademark symbol, or is an attempt at impersonating something intentionally (so for instance a name like "Nintendo", "Kleenex" or someone naming themselves, "ZOS_x" in an attempt to impersonate a GM). Major NPC could be defined as any NPC that has specifically been featured in site-wide promotions. This means my Jiren-dar is safe. Furthermore, a clause stating that players who created a character before it became a major NPC are grandfathered in. If someone made a Lady Thorn years before Greymoor, they should not have to worry about the name being taken away because of the arguably attractive vampire lord mistress of Castle Thorn.

Nevertheless, the absolute best course of action is to just allow all lore-based character names, including Abnur Tharn.

Especially since doing so would further reinforce section 2.9

"Role-Play/Fan Fiction God Modding: We support the fan fiction and role-playing communities on ZeniMax Services and ask that you please respect your fellow writers and role-players by not "god modding." God modding is the act of forcing another community member's character into a situation they have not agreed to. If you wish to involve another person's character in a story or role-play scenario, please respect that individual's wishes and get their permission first. Failure to do so is considered "god modding," and is not allowed."

The only change I would suggest to 2.9 is replacing the term "God Modding" to "God-Moding". But I could see someone wanting to RP a scenario with Abnur Tharn or Lyris Titanborn so they create a level 3 character with some variation on those names (probably with diacritics to be a unique name). There shouldn't be a hammer brought down on anyone who does this.

And if someone has a potentially troublesome name, they should be able to ask support and get a free name-change token without fear of it becoming a mark on their TOS record - or support returns a message saying the name is fine, flags the name as having already been reviewed so it doesn't ever get reviewed again, and that settles that.

Another tricky thing is, the support system is shared across Bethesda games. I know this because one time my ticket came back with a misprint referring to "Fallout 76", so there may be some policies that ZOS doesn't have as much control over in this regard.

I don't know. I know I tend to write a lot. But it should be that only names that are outright offensive are the ones that get canned, and everyone else is left to do what they want as long as it isn't hurting anyone.

Amottica

.

Quoted post has been removed.

I think there is a point that Zenimax is right to ban individuals that repeatedly cause them, and likely other players, headaches. There is a point where you just tell people to get lost, that they are no longer welcome to the party because they are a party pooper.

ZOS_GregoryV

Greetings all!

We understand that there are questions, suggestions, varying opinions, and thoughts. With that being said, we would like to ask everyone to please keep the Community Rules in mind that when posting. If there may be any questions in regards to the rules, please take a few moments to review them here.

Thank you for your understanding,
-Greg-

Destai

@ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno Just for additional clarity - if someone changes one character or includes the name of an asset like an armor set or zone, is that subject to discipline?

Using some examples, which of the following could be subject to discipline:

• Abnor Tharn
• Abnur Thorn
• Chokethorn Julianos
• Greenshade Greg

Gnesnig

Tandor wrote: »

Vaoh wrote: »

An offense should require a name change. Furthermore it shouldn’t even be an offense to use a lore-appropriate name, it’s not as if we’re trying to get around word filters here....

Well anyway, time to tell people in zone about this.I can go in any zone rn and get a huge portion of people banned based on Gina’s reply.

Obviously not going to lol but now that they actually made that comment, someone out there is going to be reporting a lot of names.

Before anyone does, they should consider Gina's use of the phrase "technically against the TOS" - with particular emphasis on "technically", which to me implies very strongly that while ZOS could force changes to any names that breached that particular rule they don't do so in the absence of other factors.

So if you ever get into a he said/she said conflict and your name is "technically" against the TOS, you "technically" can get banned. Feels like 5 years in prison for jay walking, cause it couldn't be proven you robbed a liquor store.

Nord_Raseri

.

Ratzkifal wrote: »

Now J.K. Rowling could make an ESO character called Harry Potter, because she has the rights to that name but you are probably not her, so you do not.

That name is already a stolen name. Troll(1986) - a little boy named Harry Potter gets a magic wand and becomes a wizard.

Ratzkifal

Destai wrote: »

@ZOS_Kevin @ZOS_GinaBruno Just for additional clarity - if someone changes one character or includes the name of an asset like an armor set or zone, is that subject to discipline?

Using some examples, which of the following could be subject to discipline:

• Abnor Tharn
• Abnur Thorn
• Chokethorn Julianos
• Greenshade Greg

Adding to the list:

• Plague Doctor (full set name that is also regular words)
• XYZ Winterborn (includes full set name, but doubles as lore clan name)
• XYZ of Winterhold (location name)
• Lizard Entertainment (reference to third party company, but also pun name)

Oh and please explain what's so bad about having the names of major NPCs, locations or sets.

ZOS_GregoryV

Hello all,

Upon review, we would like to remind everyone that Discussing Disciplinary Action is a violation of the Community Rules, and is stated as follows:

• Discussing Disciplinary Actions: If you ever have questions or concerns about a disciplinary action or decision we have made on the ESO forums, or wish to appeal a forum warning or infraction you’ve received, we ask that you please contact https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/ to do so (please specify that you are contacting about a forum-related inquiry or appeal). We are happy to discuss and review specific moderation-related actions with you, but we do not allow discussion of any moderation actions or decisions on our forums. If you have questions or concerns about an in-game disciplinary action, please contact https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/ to ask about a suspension or ban, and any other support-related feedback. We cannot assist with in-game violations on the forums.

If there are any questions in regards to the rules, please take a few moments to review them here.

Thank you for your understanding,
-Greg-

Destai

ZOS_GregoryV wrote: »

Hello all,

Upon review, we would like to remind everyone that Discussing Disciplinary Action is a violation of the Community Rules, and is stated as follows:

• Discussing Disciplinary Actions: If you ever have questions or concerns about a disciplinary action or decision we have made on the ESO forums, or wish to appeal a forum warning or infraction you’ve received, we ask that you please contact https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/ to do so (please specify that you are contacting about a forum-related inquiry or appeal). We are happy to discuss and review specific moderation-related actions with you, but we do not allow discussion of any moderation actions or decisions on our forums. If you have questions or concerns about an in-game disciplinary action, please contact https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/ to ask about a suspension or ban, and any other support-related feedback. We cannot assist with in-game violations on the forums.

If there are any questions in regards to the rules, please take a few moments to review them here.

Thank you for your understanding,
-Greg-

We're asking for clarification on what's appropriate when it comes to naming a character. Can you help answer those questions? I outlined a few examples above. I think we're all trying to avoid unwanted disciplinary actions by asking this, hence why people create these discussions - they're of value to the community. Thank you for understanding.

Destai

Aislinna wrote: »

SainguinKrist wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Hey all, we'd like to provide some clarification here based on what was said earlier.

First, we typically don't ban an account for a bad character name if there is no other TOS history on the account. We will simply just have you change the name. Now, if there is an extensive TOS history, there may be situations where your account could be suspended or banned for a character name that breaks the TOS.

We also want to clarify that using Tamrielic house names or other lore-friendly names is fine and isn't breaking the TOS. What we don't allow is using the proper name of major characters, bosses, etc. For example, you can't name your character Abnur Tharn but you could name a character Gina Tharn.

Hope this helps, but please let us know if you would like additional clarification!

Can I please get clarification on my name specifically?

It's technically a major NPC but my name is NOT a TES creation.

Will I have action taken against my account or it ONLY names that completely unique to TES?

I don't want to lose the name I've used for almost 2 decades because ZOS decided they own a word from the middle ages.

If you have concerns about specific character names, I would suggest submitting a ticket, quoting what Gina said here, explain the concern and ask for an official ruling about it.

Given how many people these rules could impact, it's good to work through some more concrete examples here. We all can see it and adjust our names as needed. Support tickets aren't as visible or searchable like a forum post. Maybe @ZOS_GinaBruno or @ZOS_Kevin can make a helpful sticky post since this seems to be quite the concern for people.

Sallymen

Is it not too much to ask for free name change if the name is indeed inappropriate or a grace period in which the names have to change until action is made?

Ratzkifal

Sallymen wrote: »

Is it not too much to ask for free name change if the name is indeed inappropriate or a grace period in which the names have to change until action is made?

Nope, not too much to ask. I'd say this is a very reasonable request all things considered, but don't hold your breath on it.

JoeCapricorn

Destai wrote: »

Aislinna wrote: »

SainguinKrist wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Hey all, we'd like to provide some clarification here based on what was said earlier.

First, we typically don't ban an account for a bad character name if there is no other TOS history on the account. We will simply just have you change the name. Now, if there is an extensive TOS history, there may be situations where your account could be suspended or banned for a character name that breaks the TOS.

We also want to clarify that using Tamrielic house names or other lore-friendly names is fine and isn't breaking the TOS. What we don't allow is using the proper name of major characters, bosses, etc. For example, you can't name your character Abnur Tharn but you could name a character Gina Tharn.

Hope this helps, but please let us know if you would like additional clarification!

Can I please get clarification on my name specifically?

It's technically a major NPC but my name is NOT a TES creation.

Will I have action taken against my account or it ONLY names that completely unique to TES?

I don't want to lose the name I've used for almost 2 decades because ZOS decided they own a word from the middle ages.

If you have concerns about specific character names, I would suggest submitting a ticket, quoting what Gina said here, explain the concern and ask for an official ruling about it.

Given how many people these rules could impact, it's good to work through some more concrete examples here. We all can see it and adjust our names as needed. Support tickets aren't as visible or searchable like a forum post. Maybe @ZOS_GinaBruno or @ZOS_Kevin can make a helpful sticky post since this seems to be quite the concern for people.

The thing is, things are still vague enough that one support person might offer a different opinion from another on the same name.

And I am of the opinion that name restrictions should just be loosened to allow more freedom for players, undoing suspensions based on any name that is no longer "violating", compensating players affected by the wrongful suspensions and putting out a post saying that mistakes were made and apologize.

It's not like that hasn't happened before...

Dagobertfuk

ZOS_GregoryV wrote: »

Hello all,

Upon review, we would like to remind everyone that Discussing Disciplinary Action is a violation of the Community Rules, and is stated as follows:

• Discussing Disciplinary Actions: If you ever have questions or concerns about a disciplinary action or decision we have made on the ESO forums, or wish to appeal a forum warning or infraction you’ve received, we ask that you please contact https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/ to do so (please specify that you are contacting about a forum-related inquiry or appeal). We are happy to discuss and review specific moderation-related actions with you, but we do not allow discussion of any moderation actions or decisions on our forums. If you have questions or concerns about an in-game disciplinary action, please contact https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/ to ask about a suspension or ban, and any other support-related feedback. We cannot assist with in-game violations on the forums.

If there are any questions in regards to the rules, please take a few moments to review them here.

Thank you for your understanding,
-Greg-

Pea vea Pea

SlagasaurusRex

ZOS_GregoryV wrote: »

Hello all,

Upon review, we would like to remind everyone that Discussing Disciplinary Action is a violation of the Community Rules, and is stated as follows:

• Discussing Disciplinary Actions: If you ever have questions or concerns about a disciplinary action or decision we have made on the ESO forums, or wish to appeal a forum warning or infraction you’ve received, we ask that you please contact https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/ to do so (please specify that you are contacting about a forum-related inquiry or appeal). We are happy to discuss and review specific moderation-related actions with you, but we do not allow discussion of any moderation actions or decisions on our forums. If you have questions or concerns about an in-game disciplinary action, please contact https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/ to ask about a suspension or ban, and any other support-related feedback. We cannot assist with in-game violations on the forums.

If there are any questions in regards to the rules, please take a few moments to review them here.

Thank you for your understanding,
-Greg-

Greg,

Thank you for your clear and direct communication. I fear I may be a bit confused by the implications of your message. Is this to suggest that community members may not discuss and offer feedback on the studio’s moderation strategy as a whole? Most of the discussion is, for the most part, one about the team’s broader approach to processing in-game reports that uses a specific instance as a focal point for that discussion. To what extent ought we jump through hoops in order to not discuss the perceived fairness and legitimacy of a specific issue upon which rests a much more broad, substantive discussion. It strikes me as a bit disingenuous and obstructive to productive discourse if we must pretend that we are not concerned with a specific disciplinary action in this case. I find it difficult to imagine being able to have these sorts of discussions as a community and being able to give feedback on the disciplinary system as a whole without citing specific instances.

That said, I am sympathetic to why the Community Rules prohibit, say, taking to the forums to contest a disciplinary action one might disagree with, in order to get it reversed. And, by that token, the team has made it clear that there is a proper channel for appealing disciplinary actions. But community feedback, especially on an issues as essential to the user experience as the disciplinary system, can only take place in moderated fora such as these. If I may offer some additional feedback, it would be that I deeply worry that construing the community rules as such would have a chilling effect on community discussion, player perceptions of being heard and consequently, the core user experience.

So, looking forward, could you provide equally honest and direct clarification on how the team feels about the importance of our community having these discussions? It is saddening to think that the studio would feel hostile to constructive conversations on this subject (which, to be very frank with you, is not an unreasonable inference to make thus far) and would be very open to hearing you and your team's ideas on how to empower the community to give such feedback in different ways if having these discussions in the forums does not align with the studio's priorities. I eagerly await your response and look forward to further discussion on this topic.

Sincerely,
S

JoeCapricorn

This is one of those instances where the community needs to hold ZOS accountable, and I am glad that this thread is allowed to remain open. Had it been closed, it would not have made things better, and probably would have damaged trust.

I decided to look at my guild list and friends list. I saw several people who have names that might be considered a "violation" - not anything actually violating or wrong, but something that could be unfairly actionable. Names of NPCs that were pretty recognizable, names of items and places in ESO, some names of famous characters from other IPs. That is not to say all of these players are going to get a forced name-change, but any one of them could be the victim of a harassment campaign of reporting them - and the harassers would win.

That is the worrying bit. The initial case that sparked this thread was likely one of those harassment campaigns. It seems the false bans over YT and TTV is also from a harassment campaign. When someone mentioned LGBTQ terms being actioned against, that is likely due to harassment via the report feature. Now, I don't know the specifics of all cases, this is my speculation, but it would be verifiable on ZOS's end if they saw a pattern with some of these name related actions stemming from a litany of reports.

Anyone could be a victim of this type of harassment and they would never know it until there is an action done on their account. And for those who have potentially "violating" names (as in, not actually offensive or vulgar, but 'technically' a "violation"), it's either ponying up the crowns for a name change token to be on the safe side (or potentially contacting support directly), or risking it for the time being.

I for one am stubborn, so I will fight for my characters being named what they are.

Sallymen

JoeCapricorn wrote: »

This is one of those instances where the community needs to hold ZOS accountable, and I am glad that this thread is allowed to remain open. Had it been closed, it would not have made things better, and probably would have damaged trust.

I decided to look at my guild list and friends list. I saw several people who have names that might be considered a "violation" - not anything actually violating or wrong, but something that could be unfairly actionable. Names of NPCs that were pretty recognizable, names of items and places in ESO, some names of famous characters from other IPs. That is not to say all of these players are going to get a forced name-change, but any one of them could be the victim of a harassment campaign of reporting them - and the harassers would win.

That is the worrying bit. The initial case that sparked this thread was likely one of those harassment campaigns. It seems the false bans over YT and TTV is also from a harassment campaign. When someone mentioned LGBTQ terms being actioned against, that is likely due to harassment via the report feature. Now, I don't know the specifics of all cases, this is my speculation, but it would be verifiable on ZOS's end if they saw a pattern with some of these name related actions stemming from a litany of reports.

Anyone could be a victim of this type of harassment and they would never know it until there is an action done on their account. And for those who have potentially "violating" names (as in, not actually offensive or vulgar, but 'technically' a "violation"), it's either ponying up the crowns for a name change token to be on the safe side (or potentially contacting support directly), or risking it for the time being.

I for one am stubborn, so I will fight for my characters being named what they are.

This right here! Finally someone who gets the reason why I made this thread instead of spreading misinformation. This whole situation is a smear campaign on someone who went clean and the fact that their account got permanently suspended for a name they've had for years is plain unfair. I have seen so many people twist little lies on this person, first it was out of context screenshots, and now people are lying about the violations this person has made, the only one that is true was the t-bag violation. This person has not duped crowns, nor has this person has not "hacked" in PvP but that is spreading around like wildfire because no one dares ask questions and would rather ride a hate train.

Aztrias

Aztrias wrote: »

<snipped filter bypass>

Hey I tried to censor the "bad" word

mekops_ESO

If something like set item names are explicitly not allowed, how hard would that be to just add to the character name filters.

Hlaaluna

There was always going to be more to this story than originally stated. As much as we like to put the spear into ZOS they aren't that unfair and where I can see the situation where they will resent a name and ask that you pick another, I just can't see them doing a ban.

As to the names, I have been using Hlaalu as a last name on some of my characters since 2014, have had several occasions to request help and never had any suggestion that my names were not acceptable. I do however, ensure that the first name is not the same as an in-game character. That would be immersion breaking, and not at all lore friendly.

maxjapank

Sallymen wrote: »

JoeCapricorn wrote: »

This is one of those instances where the community needs to hold ZOS accountable, and I am glad that this thread is allowed to remain open. Had it been closed, it would not have made things better, and probably would have damaged trust.

I decided to look at my guild list and friends list. I saw several people who have names that might be considered a "violation" - not anything actually violating or wrong, but something that could be unfairly actionable. Names of NPCs that were pretty recognizable, names of items and places in ESO, some names of famous characters from other IPs. That is not to say all of these players are going to get a forced name-change, but any one of them could be the victim of a harassment campaign of reporting them - and the harassers would win.

That is the worrying bit. The initial case that sparked this thread was likely one of those harassment campaigns. It seems the false bans over YT and TTV is also from a harassment campaign. When someone mentioned LGBTQ terms being actioned against, that is likely due to harassment via the report feature. Now, I don't know the specifics of all cases, this is my speculation, but it would be verifiable on ZOS's end if they saw a pattern with some of these name related actions stemming from a litany of reports.

Anyone could be a victim of this type of harassment and they would never know it until there is an action done on their account. And for those who have potentially "violating" names (as in, not actually offensive or vulgar, but 'technically' a "violation"), it's either ponying up the crowns for a name change token to be on the safe side (or potentially contacting support directly), or risking it for the time being.

I for one am stubborn, so I will fight for my characters being named what they are.

This right here! Finally someone who gets the reason why I made this thread instead of spreading misinformation. This whole situation is a smear campaign on someone who went clean and the fact that their account got permanently suspended for a name they've had for years is plain unfair. I have seen so many people twist little lies on this person, first it was out of context screenshots, and now people are lying about the violations this person has made, the only one that is true was the t-bag violation. This person has not duped crowns, nor has this person has not "hacked" in PvP but that is spreading around like wildfire because no one dares ask questions and would rather ride a hate train.

I'm sorry. It is not a smear campaign. Gina was very specific in her answer.

"First, we typically don't ban an account for a bad character name if there is no other TOS history on the account. We will simply just have you change the name. Now, if there is an extensive TOS history, there may be situations where your account could be suspended or banned for a character name that breaks the TOS."

Perhaps the names in question are no so terrible. But it is obvious that this was not this persons only TOS offense. If it was, then best wishes to them to overcome the ban. But I find it hard to believe that there is not some back story here.

Amottica

.

JoeCapricorn wrote: »

Destai wrote: »

Aislinna wrote: »

SainguinKrist wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Hey all, we'd like to provide some clarification here based on what was said earlier.

First, we typically don't ban an account for a bad character name if there is no other TOS history on the account. We will simply just have you change the name. Now, if there is an extensive TOS history, there may be situations where your account could be suspended or banned for a character name that breaks the TOS.

We also want to clarify that using Tamrielic house names or other lore-friendly names is fine and isn't breaking the TOS. What we don't allow is using the proper name of major characters, bosses, etc. For example, you can't name your character Abnur Tharn but you could name a character Gina Tharn.

Hope this helps, but please let us know if you would like additional clarification!

Can I please get clarification on my name specifically?

It's technically a major NPC but my name is NOT a TES creation.

Will I have action taken against my account or it ONLY names that completely unique to TES?

I don't want to lose the name I've used for almost 2 decades because ZOS decided they own a word from the middle ages.

If you have concerns about specific character names, I would suggest submitting a ticket, quoting what Gina said here, explain the concern and ask for an official ruling about it.

Given how many people these rules could impact, it's good to work through some more concrete examples here. We all can see it and adjust our names as needed. Support tickets aren't as visible or searchable like a forum post. Maybe @ZOS_GinaBruno or @ZOS_Kevin can make a helpful sticky post since this seems to be quite the concern for people.

The thing is, things are still vague enough that one support person might offer a different opinion from another on the same name.

And I am of the opinion that name restrictions should just be loosened to allow more freedom for players, undoing suspensions based on any name that is no longer "violating", compensating players affected by the wrongful suspensions and putting out a post saying that mistakes were made and apologize.

It's not like that hasn't happened before...

This is why those who receive a ban, or even a warning, are able to appeal that decision. Basically, others get to review it and determine if it holds up or not.

JoeCapricorn

Like, I don't know the specifics, but

maxjapank wrote: »

Sallymen wrote: »

JoeCapricorn wrote: »

This is one of those instances where the community needs to hold ZOS accountable, and I am glad that this thread is allowed to remain open. Had it been closed, it would not have made things better, and probably would have damaged trust.

I decided to look at my guild list and friends list. I saw several people who have names that might be considered a "violation" - not anything actually violating or wrong, but something that could be unfairly actionable. Names of NPCs that were pretty recognizable, names of items and places in ESO, some names of famous characters from other IPs. That is not to say all of these players are going to get a forced name-change, but any one of them could be the victim of a harassment campaign of reporting them - and the harassers would win.

That is the worrying bit. The initial case that sparked this thread was likely one of those harassment campaigns. It seems the false bans over YT and TTV is also from a harassment campaign. When someone mentioned LGBTQ terms being actioned against, that is likely due to harassment via the report feature. Now, I don't know the specifics of all cases, this is my speculation, but it would be verifiable on ZOS's end if they saw a pattern with some of these name related actions stemming from a litany of reports.

Anyone could be a victim of this type of harassment and they would never know it until there is an action done on their account. And for those who have potentially "violating" names (as in, not actually offensive or vulgar, but 'technically' a "violation"), it's either ponying up the crowns for a name change token to be on the safe side (or potentially contacting support directly), or risking it for the time being.

I for one am stubborn, so I will fight for my characters being named what they are.

This right here! Finally someone who gets the reason why I made this thread instead of spreading misinformation. This whole situation is a smear campaign on someone who went clean and the fact that their account got permanently suspended for a name they've had for years is plain unfair. I have seen so many people twist little lies on this person, first it was out of context screenshots, and now people are lying about the violations this person has made, the only one that is true was the t-bag violation. This person has not duped crowns, nor has this person has not "hacked" in PvP but that is spreading around like wildfire because no one dares ask questions and would rather ride a hate train.

I'm sorry. It is not a smear campaign. Gina was very specific in her answer.

"First, we typically don't ban an account for a bad character name if there is no other TOS history on the account. We will simply just have you change the name. Now, if there is an extensive TOS history, there may be situations where your account could be suspended or banned for a character name that breaks the TOS."

Perhaps the names in question are no so terrible. But it is obvious that this was not this persons only TOS offense. If it was, then best wishes to them to overcome the ban. But I find it hard to believe that there is not some back story here.

That may be the case here, but the screencap of the person in question showed that it was absolutely harmless names that were in "vIoLaTiOn" of the TOS.

It doesn't matter if there were other TOS actions done, the one that triggered the permanent suspension was the false violation this thread is about.

Amottica wrote: »

.

JoeCapricorn wrote: »

Destai wrote: »

Aislinna wrote: »

SainguinKrist wrote: »

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Hey all, we'd like to provide some clarification here based on what was said earlier.

First, we typically don't ban an account for a bad character name if there is no other TOS history on the account. We will simply just have you change the name. Now, if there is an extensive TOS history, there may be situations where your account could be suspended or banned for a character name that breaks the TOS.

We also want to clarify that using Tamrielic house names or other lore-friendly names is fine and isn't breaking the TOS. What we don't allow is using the proper name of major characters, bosses, etc. For example, you can't name your character Abnur Tharn but you could name a character Gina Tharn.

Hope this helps, but please let us know if you would like additional clarification!

Can I please get clarification on my name specifically?

It's technically a major NPC but my name is NOT a TES creation.

Will I have action taken against my account or it ONLY names that completely unique to TES?

I don't want to lose the name I've used for almost 2 decades because ZOS decided they own a word from the middle ages.

If you have concerns about specific character names, I would suggest submitting a ticket, quoting what Gina said here, explain the concern and ask for an official ruling about it.

Given how many people these rules could impact, it's good to work through some more concrete examples here. We all can see it and adjust our names as needed. Support tickets aren't as visible or searchable like a forum post. Maybe @ZOS_GinaBruno or @ZOS_Kevin can make a helpful sticky post since this seems to be quite the concern for people.

The thing is, things are still vague enough that one support person might offer a different opinion from another on the same name.

And I am of the opinion that name restrictions should just be loosened to allow more freedom for players, undoing suspensions based on any name that is no longer "violating", compensating players affected by the wrongful suspensions and putting out a post saying that mistakes were made and apologize.

It's not like that hasn't happened before...

This is why those who receive a ban, or even a warning, are able to appeal that decision. Basically, others get to review it and determine if it holds up or not.

It is still better to not have to go through the multi-day stress hell of appealing a false ban and hope that the support staff that handles your case has empathy and enough common sense to see that it was baloney to begin with.

endorphinsplox

Sallymen wrote: »

JoeCapricorn wrote: »

This is one of those instances where the community needs to hold ZOS accountable, and I am glad that this thread is allowed to remain open. Had it been closed, it would not have made things better, and probably would have damaged trust.

I decided to look at my guild list and friends list. I saw several people who have names that might be considered a "violation" - not anything actually violating or wrong, but something that could be unfairly actionable. Names of NPCs that were pretty recognizable, names of items and places in ESO, some names of famous characters from other IPs. That is not to say all of these players are going to get a forced name-change, but any one of them could be the victim of a harassment campaign of reporting them - and the harassers would win.

That is the worrying bit. The initial case that sparked this thread was likely one of those harassment campaigns. It seems the false bans over YT and TTV is also from a harassment campaign. When someone mentioned LGBTQ terms being actioned against, that is likely due to harassment via the report feature. Now, I don't know the specifics of all cases, this is my speculation, but it would be verifiable on ZOS's end if they saw a pattern with some of these name related actions stemming from a litany of reports.

Anyone could be a victim of this type of harassment and they would never know it until there is an action done on their account. And for those who have potentially "violating" names (as in, not actually offensive or vulgar, but 'technically' a "violation"), it's either ponying up the crowns for a name change token to be on the safe side (or potentially contacting support directly), or risking it for the time being.

I for one am stubborn, so I will fight for my characters being named what they are.

This right here! Finally someone who gets the reason why I made this thread instead of spreading misinformation. This whole situation is a smear campaign on someone who went clean and the fact that their account got permanently suspended for a name they've had for years is plain unfair. I have seen so many people twist little lies on this person, first it was out of context screenshots, and now people are lying about the violations this person has made, the only one that is true was the t-bag violation. This person has not duped crowns, nor has this person has not "hacked" in PvP but that is spreading around like wildfire because no one dares ask questions and would rather ride a hate train.

Exactly. A lot of ignorance to the principle of this issue and heavy focus on the player. Yes they have TOS violations prior, but we don't know how many or why. We also don't know how long ZOS keeps record of TOS violations on individual accounts or if there even is a forgiveness policy. I'm definitely not a fan of the person this post was originally made about and I do think they are a toxic part of the community I would be glad to see removed, but this is not the way. The TOS is poorly written and needs a rework.

redspecter23

maxjapank wrote: »

Sallymen wrote: »

JoeCapricorn wrote: »

This is one of those instances where the community needs to hold ZOS accountable, and I am glad that this thread is allowed to remain open. Had it been closed, it would not have made things better, and probably would have damaged trust.

I decided to look at my guild list and friends list. I saw several people who have names that might be considered a "violation" - not anything actually violating or wrong, but something that could be unfairly actionable. Names of NPCs that were pretty recognizable, names of items and places in ESO, some names of famous characters from other IPs. That is not to say all of these players are going to get a forced name-change, but any one of them could be the victim of a harassment campaign of reporting them - and the harassers would win.

That is the worrying bit. The initial case that sparked this thread was likely one of those harassment campaigns. It seems the false bans over YT and TTV is also from a harassment campaign. When someone mentioned LGBTQ terms being actioned against, that is likely due to harassment via the report feature. Now, I don't know the specifics of all cases, this is my speculation, but it would be verifiable on ZOS's end if they saw a pattern with some of these name related actions stemming from a litany of reports.

Anyone could be a victim of this type of harassment and they would never know it until there is an action done on their account. And for those who have potentially "violating" names (as in, not actually offensive or vulgar, but 'technically' a "violation"), it's either ponying up the crowns for a name change token to be on the safe side (or potentially contacting support directly), or risking it for the time being.

I for one am stubborn, so I will fight for my characters being named what they are.

This right here! Finally someone who gets the reason why I made this thread instead of spreading misinformation. This whole situation is a smear campaign on someone who went clean and the fact that their account got permanently suspended for a name they've had for years is plain unfair. I have seen so many people twist little lies on this person, first it was out of context screenshots, and now people are lying about the violations this person has made, the only one that is true was the t-bag violation. This person has not duped crowns, nor has this person has not "hacked" in PvP but that is spreading around like wildfire because no one dares ask questions and would rather ride a hate train.

I'm sorry. It is not a smear campaign. Gina was very specific in her answer.

"First, we typically don't ban an account for a bad character name if there is no other TOS history on the account. We will simply just have you change the name. Now, if there is an extensive TOS history, there may be situations where your account could be suspended or banned for a character name that breaks the TOS."

Perhaps the names in question are no so terrible. But it is obvious that this was not this persons only TOS offense. If it was, then best wishes to them to overcome the ban. But I find it hard to believe that there is not some back story here.

If this is true, that all that proves is that any of these lore friendly, but in no way offensive names are potentially actionable, but only if it's the straw that breaks the camels back. I'm in no way saying that's the way it went down, but according to what Gina is quoted as saying, ZOS can choose to action a name and if a player has a history, that name can be enough to lead to harsher action.

However, we're also hearing, also from Gina directly, that many lore friendly names are ok to use.

So which is it? Are the names ok to use? Or are they actionable (but only in certain circumstances)?