Sony Clarifies PS5 Voice Chat Recording Feature Following Privacy Panic

With the release of PlayStation 4 firmware update 8.00 came a new notification that warned players their voice chats may be recorded and sent to Sony for review. The alert understandably caught players off guard and caused an outcry from many of them. Following that, Sony has detailed the voice chat feature that'll be available on the PS5, including how it may record you.

Earlier this week, Sony pushed out the latest PS4 firmware update, which, as mentioned, included a notification alerting users to the fact that they may be recorded by players who send the audio to Sony for review.

Though it was already established in the company's terms of service that players may have voice communications tracked, among other things, the notification raised questions over how players would be recording other players and how they could send the audio to Sony.

As it turns out, Sony plans to include a new voice recording feature with the PlayStation 5 console that will enable players to record up to 40 seconds of audio during a Voice Chat and then submit it to Sony with a harassment report against another player. The new feature is designed to cut down on abusive activities among players.

Sony clarifies that PS4 players saw the notification in firmware 8.00 because they'll be able to play with PS5 players and, therefore, Sony needed to make sure they knew about the potential of being recorded. The most recent five minutes of Voice Chat audio will be available for PS5 players to scrub and select their 40-second clip for reporting purposes.

The company emphasizes that it does not actively listen to user voice chats and that this new recording feature is limited to players solely for the purpose of submitting harassment reports.