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Habbo owners bringing chat back, making big changes
Following a special report by UK's Channel 4 News on child predation and the lack of proper security in Habbo, all chat functionality in the game was taken down. Today, Habbo owner Sulake put out a statement that chat will be reintroduced, accompanied by better protection and moderation. Community members were given an opportunity to voice their concerns, reactions, and thoughts about Habbo in an event called the Great Unmute. CEO Paul LaFontaine said that feedback from the Great Unmute will "inform and direct" his long-term plan for Habbo, and that when chat functionality comes back online, it will be a "Protected Democracy," where the speech, safety, and interest of legitimate users comes first and foremost. Protected Democracy is a new concept that we are pioneering in a poorly regulated social gaming industry. It can only be realised through a mix of technology, moderation, education and engagement. This is a complex combination that cannot be achieved in a single step. That is why I will turn the Habbo site back on in phases, focusing on specific markets to test the new technology. Before then I will be carrying out live tests (beginning in Finland today), to ensure our new systems are delivering the improved safety levels we anticipate.
Habbo accused of harboring predators, CEO fights back
Habbo, a popular children's virtual world, is under fire today by UK's Channel 4 News. The station aired a special report suggesting that the social network as a haven for pedophiles and child predators and promising to expose "the extent of sexually explicit material on the social network." Habbo (formerly Habbo Hotel) is shedding investors with the news; Habbo's parent company Sulake lost its second largest shareholder, Balderton Capital. The former shareholder released a statement saying, "We were given some information a week ago that profoundly shocked us. We had to ask ourselves whether we were comfortable being investors in a business where children were not being adequately protected." Habbo CEO Paul LaFontaine fought back against the accusations by saying that Habbo is "one of the safest online communities" and has a large team of moderators that tracks the millions of messages sent between the network's users "To keep users safe, we filter content and block inappropriate users," LaFontaine said. "We work with child safety organisations and local police forces to address inappropriate behaviour. Habbo's leading safety systems were recognised as making the service one of the safest social networks in a 2011 European Commission report."
