The Anti-Defamation League has released a new report which claims that digital distribution platform Steam is "rife with extremism and antisemitism", with the report also claiming it's identified "millions of examples" of content reflecting this problem.
According to the ADL, the report analyzed over 450 million Steam profiles, as well as more than 152 million "profile and group avatar images" and over 610 million comments on Steam user profiles and group pages.
Among the "millions of examples" of extremist content uncovered by the report were "explicit hate symbols" like the happy merchant figure and the sonnenrad, as well as "copypastas shaped into swastikas". We won't be showing any kind of images illustrating the ADL's points here, but you can imagine the kinds of things the report found.
In numbers terms, the ADL says it identified 1.83 million "unique pieces of extremist or hateful content", as well as 1.5 million users and over 73,000 groups "who used at least one potentially extremist or hateful symbol, copypasta, or keyword" on Steam.
1.18 million unique instances of extremist copypastas were identified, as well as over 820,000 avatars for users and groups containing extremist symbols. Additionally, the report found "thousands of profiles" glorifying violent extremists such as "white supremacist mass shooters".
The ADL blames Valve's "highly permissive approach to content policy" for this issue, stating that while Steam does occasionally remove high-profile extremist content, it has failed to "systematically address the issue of extremism and hate on the platform".
One such example of Valve banning extremist content on Steam was the removal of gladiator game Domina following a transphobic rant on the part of its developer, but the ADL seems to be suggesting that this kind of action is the exception rather than the rule.
So, what does the ADL recommend Valve and Steam do about extremist and hateful content on the platform?
First, the ADL says Valve should adopt specific policies to prohibit extremism. There's currently no policy on Steam that specifically outlaws this kind of content, so the ADL wants to see one implemented.
Other recommendations include adopting policies "prohibiting hate", as well as enforcing policies "accurately at scale" and closing adult content moderation loopholes.
Lastly, the ADL says Valve should "engage with civil society, academics, and researchers" in order to shape its policies and prevent "vulnerable and marginalized groups" from being targeted on Steam.
You can read the ADL's full report, which contains numerous examples of the kind of content discovered on Steam during the course of the report's undertaking, right here.
