I, similar to many others, have become an unjust victim of temporary bans (not to be confused with permanent bans), in the popular video game Call of Duty, published by Activision. These bans are not based on fair, transparent, and legitimate protocols but are pure outcomes of other players who file a certain subjective number of in-game reports, thus putting legitimate, paying customers and players into the mercy of anyone’s malicious reporting. Even more unsettling is the fact that these reports can be initiated and submitted within the span of 3 seconds, opening the floodgates for spamming.

   It is deeply troubling that despite introducing a kernel level anti-cheat known as "Ricochet", Activision has resorted to accepting players’ reports as the primary evidence for these temporary suspensions, also known as ‘shadow bans’. This process allows us very limited counter-argument, missing the chance for the implicated party to defend, explain, or even question the situation. These bans last from 5 to 30 days, during which "Ricochet" never actually scans for any sort of game file or code manipulation or unauthorized 3rd party application injection detection. Instead, just automatically triggering the temporary ban placing the account in a state labeled ‘Limited Matchmaking’ (formerly ‘Under Review’ but changed acknowledging there is no “review”) rendering you unable to participate in play for extended periods of time, gravely deterring the gaming experience.

   We, the victims of this unjust system, call upon Activision to reassess their temporary banning procedure. Rules need to be made clearer, report spamming needs to be controlled, active Code of Conduct violation or confirmed cheat detection should be the only warrant for any type of ban, and more than anything, "Ricochet" must be leveraged effectively to further curb rampant cheating rather than exhibiting itself as a mere showpiece to appease the gaming community. Let's stand together and demand Activision amend their temporary banning protocols. Please sign this petition to support our cause.