COD: Modern Warfare 2 now allows moderators to mute toxic players

Activision has updated the in-game reporting system in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to prevent players from saying offensive words. Moderators can now mute toxic players in every chat channel globally.

Per the code of conduct of Modern Warfare 2, players are not allowed to partake in bullying, harassment and saying bigoted words. Activision released the update to minimize these toxic behaviors in the game.

The new “In-Game Reporting Context” allows players to describe toxic behaviors in detail. Activision announced that it would equip future Call of Duty games with the tool to keep them safe and fun for players.

“Your in-game reports are important to identifying and moderating bad behavior,” Activision said. “Working together we can push to make our games a more positive experience for all.”

Players getting false bans

Recently, many players reported that Modern Warfare 2 had banned them without any justified reasons. When they tried to appeal, Activision rejected it, saying they were using “unauthorized software and manipulation of game data.”

According to Insider Gaming, the culprit might be the in-game anti-cheat system, which flags RGB software such as Logitech G Hub and iCUE as cheating programs. Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson contacted around five hundred falsely banned players and found that 90 percent had RGB software installed on their PCs.

“Such data does not guarantee that false bans are occurring because of RGB programs, but polls I created on Twitter suggest that more people who had Logitech G Hub installed for example, were more likely to get banned (70% of banned people had it installed, whilst only 45% of people are saying they have the software installed),” Henderson said.

Getting false bans due to RGB software has been a recurring issue in gaming communities. In 2020, An Apex Legends player with the username xxxParoXysmxxx reported in EA online forums that his RGB software had earned him a false ban.

The player tested his theory by creating two new accounts. He played using the first account for over three hours with Logitech G Hub running in the background and was banned shortly. The second account did not receive a ban with the RGB software turned off.

“But an advice to you all, do not use softwares that may trigger the game to ban you. Even if it was a software from a famous company,” xxxParoXysmxxx wrote.

Henderson investigated if VPNs might have been a possible cause behind the false bans but received confusing and mixed responses. Some said they did not use VPN, while others said they did not turn it on but had one on their PC.

Insider Gaming has attempted to contact Activision directly through emails, LinkedIn messages and more regarding the issue. However, they either did not receive any reply or were told to reach the publisher through “official processes.”

“For now, we can only advice that uninstalling the RGB software mentioned in this article is probably the best cause of action to prevent your account from being banned. It’s also worth mentioning that people with such software installed also haven’t been banned, but personally, I’m not willing to take such a risk,” Henderson wrote.