Although intended to protect workers, the move can also be seen as a way of trying to silence criticism.
Square Enix has raised some eyebrows with its new harassment policy that the company published earlier this week. At a glance, the policy is centered around protecting its workers from predatory fans who go too far, bombarding them with waves of insults, personal attacks, and sometimes even worse than that online. Here's a bit from Square Enix's website:
There are instances where certain customers take actions directly or through our support centers, or towards our group executives, employees, and partners.
Should Square Enix determine that an individual has engaged in an action against one of our employees or partners that exceeds socially acceptable behaviour [sic] or is harmful, we reserve our right to cease providing support services or to refrain from providing our group's products and services.
Square Enix reserves its right to protect its employees and partners and to take legal action or criminal proceedings upon consulting the police and/or lawyers.
To be clear, the thinking by some is that this move follows problems with fans in Japan and some incidents that have occurred in that country. While that's perfectly understandable, where fan concern enters the conversation is determining what exactly Square Enix considers to be conduct "that exceeds socially acceptable behavior or is harmful."
It's here that things turn a bit gray, as Western social media managers and content moderators are known for lashing out against fans whose views or opinions don't align with their political beliefs. This has been evidenced everywhere from the debacle with Helldivers 2's moderators and even mainstream journalists downplaying fan debate over culture war issues. Legitimate criticism and concerns are often swept aside as illegitimate for no other reason than the ones being critcized don't like the perceived politics of the people saying it. How Square Enix will apply this policy is something that many fans will be keeping an eye on in the weeks and months ahead.
Source: Square Enix Website