The latest batch of documents released about convicted child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein held some surprising revelations on the video game front. XboxEra reported that convicted child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was banned from its platform in 2013. It was apparently part of an agreement between Microsoft and New York to purge convicted sex offenders from Xbox Live.
Epstein apparently received two e-mails about this from Microsoft. The first was a more generic letter accusing him of harrassment, threats, and/or abuse of other players. A second e-mail was much more specific.
"This action is based on the New York Attorney General's partnership with Microsoft and other online gaming companies to remove New York registered sex offenders from online gaming services to minimize the risk to others, particularly children."
It's not immediately clear whether Epstein himself was playing, as one e-mail discusses buying an Xbox as a birthday gift for a boy, while another inquires about a "25,24 charge on Xbox."
Epstein's high profile connected him to some of the richest and most famous people in the world. Every new e-mail dump has the whole Internet scouring it for names, brands, and other potential problems.
At least in this situation, Microsoft appears to have taken the proper action. With all the controversy currently surrounding platforms such as Roblox, more people than ever are looking at online spaces and wondering what precautions can be taken to save children. Microsoft, thankfully, may have been well ahead of its time on this one.