3DS SwapNote Application Used By Pedophiles In Japan

[Steven Bogos]

3DS SwapNote Application Used By Pedophiles In Japan

This may shed some light on why the service's online functionality was suddenly shut down earlier in the month.

Two separate reports, one from the earlier in the month [http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20131105-00001107-yom-soci]. Nintendo cited the exchange of "offensive material" as the main reason behind the shutdown.

In the Yomuri report, two men aged 49 and 36 in Japan were recently arrested for performing "improper acts" with a 12-year-old girl on multiple occasions. The girl met both individuals through her Nintendo 3DS, though it does not specifically mention the SwapNote application.

In the Mainichi report, however, charges for child pornography were filed against a 44-year-old man who had two girls (aged 11 and 12 at the time of the incident) send him nude photographs via SwapNote, something which the man himself has confessed to.

In both of the reports, it is mentioned that the parents of the children had turned off the 3DS' online functionality, but the children had turned it back on.

While Nintendo has not specifically stated that either of these two cases had any bearing on its decision to discontinue the SpotPass function of SwapNote, the timing does seems to add up. There's no word from Nintendo on whether any other applications will have their online functionality suspended, or if we will ever see SpotPass return to SwapNote.

Source: Kotaku [http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20131105-00001107-yom-soci]

Permalink

 

[Saulkar]

Sigh... I thought this was what anime was for instead (ooohhh flamebait! Bring it on).

Spoiler: Dangerous to Click

Yes, it is a joke, I am just being facetious and know the proper/popular English (use of a Japanese word) catch all term (of many) is Hentai

On the other hand, I thought things like the 3DS had some ability like the Kinect to detect then censor or block nude photos and the like. I guess that goes to show how much I know having never used a Nintendo DS, let alone 3DS.

 

[MetalMagpie]

On the other hand, I thought things like the 3DS had some ability like the Kinect to detect then censor or block nude photos and the like.

The Kinect can do that?

 

[Saulkar]

On the other hand, I thought things like the 3DS had some ability like the Kinect to detect then censor or block nude photos and the like.

The Kinect can do that?

Oh Yes, there are in fact a few notable videos on G4 where they had an actual pornstar strip in order to test the system to unfortunately notable success.

Furthermore, tangentially related, there are a couple of funny web-comic parodies.

Spoiler: Vee-Gee CATS AHOY!!!

 

[Strazdas]

2 men have misused internet - lets shut down internet!
Yeah, nintendo just acted like these congressmen that want to turn internet into TV like subscription of websites.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Ah Nintendads not understanding internet since... its existence.
Pretty sure pedophiles use every other service on the internet, there were even reports some of them breathe the same air as everyone else, luckily Nintendo hasn't figured out how to remove that... for now.

 

[idarkphoenixi]

A couple of incidents leads to "Shut it down! Shut it all down!" Clap, clap, Nintendo.

Quite literately any application that allows others to see you is going to have to deal with this problem.

This is why instead of pushing the nuclear button, other companies invest in detection software.

 

[hickwarrior]

Why they shut it down instead of just removing the photo feature is just baffling too... But this is nintendo we're talking about. Still, it was far too sudden for this to shutdown. They should've known that a feature like taking pictures of yourself would've been used like that.

But the company feels like an overly zealous parent with this move.

Oh, and the parental controls are useless if they can easily be flipped on and off at everyone's leisure. Need an authentication method for that to actually be useful.

 

[Omeene]

Watch, viewers, as we can see the gamer in its natural hyperbolic state.

"While Nintendo has not specifically stated that either of these two cases had any bearing on its decision to discontinue the SpotPass function of SwapNote...", this line even states, that outside of timing, there is no proof that this has a connection to SwapNote's shutdown, and even THEN, there is no proof it is the only reason why SwapNote got shutdown. This shouldn't needed to be said, but multiple replies are making that assumption because it helps define their "rage".

Until further information comes through, there are only two statements a gamer can reasonably take from this article:

1) These situations played a part in the decision (A reasonable assumption)

2) We don't know if these situations played a part but it is possible (The safest assumption).

Anything else is hyperbolic reactions that seem like you are purposefully making illogical assumptions for insincere reasons. And even outside of that, if it was the "only" reason, Nintendo, being a console that has a strong young demographic, could be very hurt if parents found out that their children could be contacted by grown strangers via a default application. So, the idea that "Nintendo shut it down just because of these two cases" is illogical, but also Nintendo shutting it down because of possible misuse by pedophiles is "Ignorant", "Archaic" or "an Overreaction" is also illogical, since we are not talking about the internet or a random chatroom, we are talking about a default application on a device that is often viewed as the "kid-friendly" handheld device.

 

[MetalMagpie]

On the other hand, I thought things like the 3DS had some ability like the Kinect to detect then censor or block nude photos and the like.

The Kinect can do that?

Oh Yes, there are in fact a few notable videos on G4 where they had an actual pornstar strip in order to test the system to unfortunately notable success.

Is this the video you're thinking of? http://www.tgdaily.com/games-and-entertainment-features/52625-kinect-doesn%E2%80%99t-censor-naked-female-porn-stars

I haven't watched the video (due to being at work) but the text says it doesn't censor nudity.

I was mostly interested because automatic censoring like that is a really hard image-processing problem, so it seems a little strange that a) Microsoft would bother with it and b) this wouldn't be better known.

 

[Doom972]

2 men have misused internet - lets shut down internet!
Yeah, nintendo just acted like these congressmen that want to turn internet into TV like subscription of websites.

I agree with you, but I think I understand why Nintendo did this: This was meant to be used by kids. Adults and adolescents already have enough ways to communicate with each other and don't need a 3DS for that purpose. I think that this service was meant to be used as an alternative kid-only environment. However, I don't see how Nintendo didn't predict this happening. It's like Nintendo lives in its own little world.

 

[Dragonbums]

2 men have misused internet - lets shut down internet!
Yeah, nintendo just acted like these congressmen that want to turn internet into TV like subscription of websites.

It is incredibly naive to think that it is literally only two people abusing the swapnotes spotpass feature for pedophile tendencies. These were just the people caught doing it.

Chances are, an even larger number of people were doing similar things with this feature all over the world. And since pedophiles tend to get away with crap like this for a couple of years before getting caught, it wouldn't surprise me if this was starting to become the all new method to get at minors with these people.

 

[Eternal_Lament]

There are pedos in Japan? 13 is considered legal, I thought they would be all over that.

Technically speaking, the people here would be considered hebephiles, people who have an attraction towards people aged 11-14. Anything before then would be a pedophile. So also, yes, technically speaking, there would be pedophiles even if age of consent is low.

Anyways, main topic:

The thing I'm curious about more than anything is the ability to turn on/off online functionality, and what the authorization process would be if two kids were able to bypass a system that was made for them in the first place. As for if they should have shut it down (assuming this was the reason why)...while Nintendo does have a family friendly image to keep up, something like this is sort of inevitable when entering into the online sphere. As such, I think Nintendo really has to choose which is more important (family friendly or online functionality) and just stick to that, rather than trying to have it both ways. At least if they go for one or the other, they'll only have one group going after them as opposed to two.

 

[Micalas]

A couple of incidents leads to "Shut it down! Shut it all down!" Clap, clap, Nintendo.

Quite literately any application that allows others to see you is going to have to deal with this problem.

This is why instead of pushing the nuclear button, other companies invest in detection software.

Hell, even that Lego MMO had detection software. Structures instanly vaporized in the event that they looked phallic.

 

[Fappy]

What's the point of Swapnote if it has no online functionality? Like others have mentioned, I feel there are other courses they could have taken to resolve these issues without going cold turkey.

 

[kat-pottz]

nintendo now is your chance to win us over again by bringing back pictochat. please.

 

[itsmeyouidiot]

Honestly, this is a pretty good reason to shut down Swapnote.

If parents in America and Europe learn about this sort of thing happening, they will not only be outraged beyond belief, they'll more than likely stop buying Nintendo products in order to protect their children.

This is not, under ANY circumstance, a risk you can take. Nintendo makes a good deal of its revenue from parents buying games for children, and taking away that revenue would be the end of the company altogether.

 

[McMarbles]

Watch, viewers, as we can see the gamer in its natural hyperbolic state.

"While Nintendo has not specifically stated that either of these two cases had any bearing on its decision to discontinue the SpotPass function of SwapNote...", this line even states, that outside of timing, there is no proof that this has a connection to SwapNote's shutdown, and even THEN, there is no proof it is the only reason why SwapNote got shutdown. This shouldn't needed to be said, but multiple replies are making that assumption because it helps define their "rage".

Until further information comes through, there are only two statements a gamer can reasonably take from this article:

1) These situations played a part in the decision (A reasonable assumption)

2) We don't know if these situations played a part but it is possible (The safest assumption).

Anything else is hyperbolic reactions that seem like you are purposefully making illogical assumptions for insincere reasons. And even outside of that, if it was the "only" reason, Nintendo, being a console that has a strong young demographic, could be very hurt if parents found out that their children could be contacted by grown strangers via a default application. So, the idea that "Nintendo shut it down just because of these two cases" is illogical, but also Nintendo shutting it down because of possible misuse by pedophiles is "Ignorant", "Archaic" or "an Overreaction" is also illogical, since we are not talking about the internet or a random chatroom, we are talking about a default application on a device that is often viewed as the "kid-friendly" handheld device.

Omeene... what you fail to understand is that it's Nintendo and thus whatever it is is wrong and stupid and backwards. After all... what's a couple of molested children compared to all the people who have now been slightly inconvenienced? It's not like Nintendo has a large audience among children, right? It's not like this is the kind of thing that reflects badly on a company with a child-friendly image, right? The only audience any company should be concerned about is grown-ass twentysomethings.

 

[Saulkar]

On the other hand, I thought things like the 3DS had some ability like the Kinect to detect then censor or block nude photos and the like.

The Kinect can do that?

Oh Yes, there are in fact a few notable videos on G4 where they had an actual pornstar strip in order to test the system to unfortunately notable success.

Is this the video you're thinking of? http://www.tgdaily.com/games-and-entertainment-features/52625-kinect-doesn%E2%80%99t-censor-naked-female-porn-stars

I haven't watched the video (due to being at work) but the text says it doesn't censor nudity.

I was mostly interested because automatic censoring like that is a really hard image-processing problem, so it seems a little strange that a) Microsoft would bother with it and b) this wouldn't be better known.

Yes that is the video and I am honestly stunned that my memory is that bad.