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Nintendo shuts down SpotPass features for Swapnote on 3DS
Nintendo has abruptly shut down the SpotPass functionality for Swapnote on 3DS, noting that players were "exchanging their friend codes on Internet bulletin boards" and then using SwapNote to "exchange offensive material." SpotPass allowed players to exchange photos directly with others using the app. "Nintendo always wants to provide a positive experience for all consumers and limit the risk of any inappropriate activity or misuse of a service," Nintendo noted in an announcement on its site. "We feel it is important on this occasion to take this action." The service was stopped as of 7:00 p.m. PT today, and is effective for all regions. Nintendo said it will "work to ensure more consumers are aware of our Parental Control features" for the handheld system, pointing out that minors were among those exchanging offensive material. "We are very sorry for any inconvenience to the many consumers who have been using this service responsibly; however this decision was made considering the point that many minors also use this feature of Swapnote," the company added.
India's cracking down on 'offensive' social media, Desi teens click 'dislike'
Oh dear. India's technology minister Kapil Sibal won't be too popular with the anti-censorship crowd after demanding social networking sites screen out "offensive" material. After spotting a group criticizing Sonia Gandhi (widow of the assassinated former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi) on Facebook, Sibal dragged reps from the Haus of Zuckerberg, Yahoo, Google and Microsoft -- demanding they ban material that could incite tensions on the subcontinent. No agreement was reached at the time, but Sibal isn't letting this one rest -- he's planning a series of guidelines that would become punishments for sites that don't play along in the future.
