At Backbone, we prioritise the safety and well-being of our platform users and want all our users to thrive. Set out below is some important information to help you have a safe and fun gaming experience when using our Products and Services (as those terms are defined in our Terms and Conditions).
1. Safe Use of our Products and Services
Please ensure that you familiarise yourself with our safe use guidelines. Information on safe use is provided:
- on our website in our Support Center and FAQs, in our Terms and Conditions, in our Community Guidelines, and
- with respect to third-party games and services that you may use your Backbone to play, you should review that third party’s online safety materials, generally available on their websites.
We encourage you to prioritise your well-being when using our platform and Products and Services. All users must also adhere to our Terms and Conditions.
2. Our Online Safety Resources
You shouldn’t have to play with anyone who acts in a way that is inconsistent with our Community Guidelines. That’s why it's crucial to stay informed about how you can stay safe when using our platform and Products and Services. Set out below are some tips, guidelines, and educational materials to help you understand what steps you can take to minimise the risk of experiencing unwanted behaviour when using our platform. By following these online safety measures, you can minimise potential risks.
- Secure Your Accounts: Use strong, unique passwords for your gaming accounts. Enable two-factor authentication whenever possible. Regularly update your passwords to minimise the risk of unauthorised access.
- Be Mindful of Personal Information: Avoid sharing personal information, such as your full name, address, or phone number when using our Products and Services. Be cautious when sharing details about your life, location, or daily activities when using our Products and Services.
- Know Your Online Friends: Limit your online gaming circle to people you know and trust. Be wary of accepting friend requests from strangers and review your privacy settings to control who can contact you. If you would like to review and adjust your Backbone profile, account and/or privacy settings, please refer to the following support pages on our website:
- Educate Yourself on your settings for Third-Party Games and Services: Familiarise yourself with the privacy, safety and security settings of your mobile device and the games you play. Please see further details under ‘Limiting Access to Illegal and Restricted Materials’.
3. Children
Although Backbone One (the controller) does not require our Backbone app to work, we require you to be 13 or older to use our app because of its social features like voice chat and messaging. Underage use of a controller without the app should always be under a parent’s supervision.
4. Reporting Online Safety Concerns
Our Community Guidelines require our users to respect others and use acceptable language when interacting with others on our platform. Unfortunately, not everyone always plays by the rules. We therefore encourage you to:
- learn how to recognise and immediately report to us any unwelcome behaviour you experience when using our Products and Services;
- familiarise yourself with the signs of harassment and bullying and immediately report instances of aggressive, violent, or unwelcome behaviour or cyberbullying to either us or the game platform (depending on which platform, product or service the unwanted conduct occurs) and/or to relevant authorities.
If you see something that you think violates our terms and conditions, let us know.
As noted below under ‘Specific Online Safety Information for Users in Australia’, users in Australia can also report online safety concerns to Australia’s eSafety regulator.
5. Limiting Access to Illegal and Restricted Materials
To ensure a safe gaming environment, it is essential to be able to limit access to certain materials. Our services are equipped with features that control and restrict access to illegal and restricted materials. Please refer to our Community Guidelines for information regarding those measures.
6. Specific Online Safety Information for Users in Australia
The Australian eSafety Commissioner is dedicated to promoting online safety for all Australians. The Australian eSafety Commissioner can investigate adult cyber abuse, image-based abuse (sharing, or threatening to share, intimate images without the consent of the person shown) and illegal and restricted content.
If you are using our Products and Services in Australia and you have any concerns or complaints about online safety issues, including about access to illegal and restricted online content, we encourage you to use eSafety’s complaints forms available here: https://www.esafety.gov.au/report/forms.
You can also make a complaint directly to us by contacting us at safety@playbackbone.com.
We encourage all our users to prioritise online safety. By following this online safety information, you contribute to creating a safe and fun experience for yourself and the wider gaming community.
For any further assistance or inquiries, please contact our customer support team at support@playbackbone.com.