Rep. Lori Trahan Blasts Gaming Companies for Failing to Adequately Address Rising Extremism

Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA), a member of the House Commerce Committee’s Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee released summaries of gaming company responses to a December 2022 request from lawmakers for information on actions being taken to stem the rise of harassment and extremism in online video games. The initial request was sent after an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report found increases in hate, harassment, and extremism in the companies’ online games. According to ADL, the proliferation of white supremacy and other forms of extremism has also increased dramatically, with 15 percent of gamers under 18 years old and 20 percent of adults reporting encounters with white supremacy while online – more than double what gamers reported the year before. Additionally, 77 percent of adults and 66 percent of teens have reported experiences of harassment while playing online games, including three out of every five children. Despite these alarming trends, a majority of gaming companies failed to address some of the lawmakers’ most pressing questions:

• 9 out of 14 companies failed to mention policies or actions they deploy to specifically assess and mitigate extremist content;
• 7 out of 14 companies did not mention how they engage with marginalized and at-risk communities who are most impacted by online hate and harassment;
• 8 out of 14 companies do not have or declined to describe transparency in reporting about the proliferation of harassment and extremist content in their games.

 A summary of each company’s response to the questions lawmakers sent can be accessed HERE.