Update: SpotPass disabled for Swapnote worldwide – Nintendo disables image sharing for Swapnote, Flipnote Studio 3D in Japan
Update 2: Nintendo’s official announcement is in. You can find it after the break.
Update: We’re now getting the indication that SpotPass features for Swapnote have been disabled worldwide. StreetPass still appears to be functioning.
Original: As of now, Japanese 3DS users can no longer take advantage of the ability to share images in Swapnote and Flipnote Studio 3D. Nintendo discovered that inappropriate content was being distributed, which was deemed inappropriate for children. Unfortunately, Nintendo has yet to devise a means of maintaining a safe environment for everyone without suspending online image sharing.
Nintendo has learned that some consumers, including minors, have been exchanging their friend codes on Internet bulletin boards and then using Swapnote (known as Nintendo Letter Box in other regions) to exchange offensive material. Nintendo has been investigating ways of preventing this and determined it is best to stop the SpotPass feature of Swapnote because it allows direct exchange of photos and was actively misused.
Nintendo always wants to provide a positive experience for all consumers and limit the risk of any inappropriate activity or misuse of a service. We feel it is important on this occasion to take this action.
We are very sorry for any inconvenience to the many consumers who have been using this service responsibly; however this decision was made considering the point that many minors also use this feature of Swapnote. Thank you for your understanding.
Nintendo will continue to work to ensure more consumers are aware of our Parental Control features, which allow parents to manage their children’s experience on our systems. For more information, please click here.
Service stop date: Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013, 7 p.m. PT
Service being stopped: Nintendo 3DS software Swapnote – Sending and receiving notes using SpotPass
Affected regions: All regions where the service was offered
Special Notes services are also stopped
