PAX 2010: Stepto's Law of Xbox Live ban protests Posted by XanTium | September 7 20:38 EST | News Category: Xbox360

From joystiq.com: [QUOTE] During the Xbox Live Enforcement panel at PAX this past weekend, director of policy and enforcement on Xbox Live, Stephen Toulouse (a.k.a. Stepto), recited "Stepto's Law" for the audience. The complex formula is used to determine the validity of a complaint issued by a banned Xbox Live user. The law goes like this: "The more convoluted, overwrought and lengthy the protest of innocence, the probability of it being bullshit approaches one." [/QUOTE] Full Story: joystiq.com

Sounds like a dick, but at the same time, I am sure his formula isn't far from the truth.

obviously it is true or it would be called Stepto's theory.

Sounds about right, both as the attitude of Microsoft towards its paying customers, and as having merit as a theory. Obnoxious, rude, and self-serving, but technically right. Douchebag...

not sure his is correct at all shrugs
I know when my 2 week old system never hacked was banned I went apeshit on them over many phone calls no effect even posted to forums with info requested to get it lifted still no effect ..sold off long ago
but never put another system on live F microshit and there bs play online with my ps3 play my jtag 360 offline or on kia

no reason to spend more money for a new online 360 that will just get banned for no reason.

he's still less of a jerk than the people at the dmv...

Technically he is incorrect and found believing people are in general, bad. Talking about stepping on the toes of the innocent. Maybe he should be known as "StepToe".

But yes, typically M$ arrogance. And yes, law, not theory (Great comment :-)

Has M$ finally ran out of anything PR worthy?

lol so does "UNBAN ME" work for them might have to try that one XD

I posted on this earlier today on another forum:

So today Major Nelson posted a podcast from PAX hosting the infamous Xbox Live Enforcement Team members, who discuss bans, suspensions, and how they work.

PAX Prime: Xbox LIVE Enforcement: Tales from the Din Part 3: The Conclusioning - Xbox Live's Major Nelson

Obviously this isn't the first time we've heard them speak. I have heard the other ones in years past but don't recall them that well.

After listening, I can't help but to be disappointed in the way these guys carry themselves. They think they're so cool and funny and it reminds me of being back in high school many years ago. They act like their shit don't stink and they're so much better than everyone else.

Here's the thing, I get that breaking the TOS results in suspensions and bans. I don't have a problem with that. I don't blame MS for policing their service at all. I do, however, have issues when them acting the way they do in discussions like the one at PAX. If police officers have public discussions like this about their work, they could easilly lose their job.

I think it's necessary for people in their position to remain respectful and have high integrity, even if they do deal with idiots on a regular basis.

*******************


It's funny because they call every modder, hacker, etc. a "douchebag" yet they themselves are acting as a douchebag. I still think it's bs they go around talking like this. Even criminals have to be treated with respect, so it should be no different for enforcers on an online service like XBL.

These guys are powertripping hard, and that's not the kind of people we need to be enforcers.

This is in reference to banned USERS, not consoles.

Seriously, unless you act like a total moron and go around screaming "nigger" and "faggot" every two seconds, you won't get banned/suspended. Douchebags is right, if anything I hope they start handing out harsher penalties in the range of 60+ days for these annoying mouthbreathers who never know when to shut up.

Glad to see the report function on XBL is doing something.

The fewer xXXxxKronic420SephirothSSJ3xXXxx's we have on XBL the better.

that posting is pretty lengthy. just saying.

The truth is they are probably right. The percentage of bans probably matches their estimations, and that in itself works against the banned folks. Then you take into account the details of the offense itself, the argument given by the offender, and it likely adds up to obvious bullshit pretty quickly.

However, with that said, these douchebags have the mentality of E-thugs that just weren't quite intimidating enough to be real enforcers (military, police, or hell even mall security). I feel for these pricks, and at the same time, would love some one on one time with them for an attitude adjustment.

Bleh, I'm glad I've never played on Live really.

screw live i do use it but whenever mostly just stick with ps3 nowadays these people that enforce live cant tell heads and tails sure theres a few who get the accidental ban but m$ treats everyone as a suspect

eah i seem to remeber seeing a video of some mod being a jerk to ppl on xbox live saying he can ban him forever if he dont show him respect....im sorry but the position of moderator is always gonna be filled by a douche with an ego problem who needs to have power to force ppl to like them

personally what this statement says to me is, "if your email is to long we cba reading it so screw you"

if i was microsoft i would make the idiot that made this statement apologise as people have and always will be banned by accident and it seems like microsoft have no policy for helping the very rare but still existing wrongly banned people,

does this kind of stuff happen on PSN too?

To me it just seems like they are the ones who create all of this. I dont think moderation is at all necessary. Microsoft should save sume $$ and its public image and fire all the moderators. If you dont like what people are saying, turn chat off.

I would go as far to say that the nature of the game encourages people to talk shit to each other. I dont do it much, but I think its pretty funny sometimes. If I dont think its funny, I take my heatset out and just play the damn game.

what about moderation?

i remember back when the servers went screwy in the xbox 1 days and i got slammed with a system modded ban. a call to customer service had to guy telling me the console banned itself (it was my untouched virgin halo le xbox).
knowing modding, i laughed at this, eventually i got a call from one of the head people apologizing and told me the servers went screwy and told me itd be fixed soon.

id rather have them fix all this spam for boosting and modded lobbies

Stepto, reminds me of the old British comedy series called Steptoe and Son about an old timer 'rag and bone' merchant and his lad in the scrapyard.


Anyway, back on topic, I kind of see his point when you read some of the crying that banned people do on Xbox.com, always the same shit, 'Why did my account XxJTAGxX get banned? I neva haxxed anything, it's just my intials' and other assorted buffoonery.

This team is also responsible for banning consoles. Go listen to the other speeches they've given at PAX on YouTube or, better yet, YouTube search "the pro xbox live". They ban both and the system of filing complaints has lead to console bans, too.

I believe the Pro and others like him should be kept out of the public eye. Their accounts should always be muted and Microsofts public relations department should be dealing with the media.

Their work is justified but how they present themselves is just embarrassing.

amen brother!

"I CAN HAZ UNBAN" works every time.

I agree with you. This would solve my issue of them acting just as much as a douchebag as the people they ban.

I call BS. On consoles I've done intence amount of modding on have lived on for years without ban, profile bans yes, not the Xbox. For you to say you had no sort of modification on the console (profile?) and it was banned. BS. Out of all threads I've read on this site and other sites I've never seen a console ban being given on a console not hacked, (or profile?). I hate to see people complain about bans, its annoying.


Not really. If he has a lot to say and you have no interest in reading something long (lol), don't reply to him. Simple as that.


Please don't bring "the pro" into this topic as if there is some sort of huge relation to the couple of guys on the panel, the entire team, and just one guy who was out of line.

I though this podcast was funny, corny at parts, informative at parts, and interesting. On another modding site I could understand people complaining about the podcast, but X-S? That surprises me. Especially what stupid things are being complained about.

Also, can't remember who, but someone compared the xbl enforcement team talking about their publicly as compared to a police officer talking about their job publicly ... no, just no. There are so many things wrong with that statement I wouldn't know where to begin.

Phigmeta's Law

As a Blue badge employee (FTE) at MS departs further and further from a positive effect on the profits of MS he becomes more arrogant, dicklike, and worthless.

Soon this fucktard will be a PM (aka a process janitor)

I see dash trash orange badge in his future.

was lollipop on there sometimes she makes me think shes clever than all the rest I wouldn't complain if she was Law of Enforcement i do listen to majors podcasts..you do get a hint of them messing about a bit to much at MS sometimes like E is always eating BURGERS seriously though I think the file complaint system needs a complete change it needs to be more like a rating system (kinda like the feedback) or something so you can avoid them on Live..