Child Safety Crisis
Overview: Steam is a Hunting Ground for Predators
Steam has ZERO content moderation, no NSFW filtering, and allows drug sales to children in local geo-based chats. This platform endangers millions of minors daily.
Drug Sales in Local Geo-Based Chats
In Dota 2 and other Steam games, local geo-based chats (by city/region) have become drug marketplaces:
The Drug Sales Problem:
- Local chats organized by city/region in Dota 2 and other games
- Completely unmoderated text content - no filtering whatsoever
- Drug sales advertisements have become normalized
- Direct store advertising with contact information
- Operating for 5+ years across different geographic regions
- Confirmed in CIS countries - likely happening globally
- Children as young as 13 exposed to drug marketplaces
Steam provides the infrastructure for drug dealers to reach children. This is not negligence - this is facilitation.
5+ Years of Zero Action
This is not a new problem. Drug sales in Steam local chats have been documented for over 5 years:
- Multiple geographic regions affected
- Thousands of reports from users (ignored)
- Same dealers operate for years without bans
- Easy to detect with basic keyword filtering (Steam chooses not to)
- Pattern recognition would identify dealers instantly (Steam doesn't implement)
Complete Absence of NSFW Filtering
Steam has NO basic content filtering - not even NSFW image detection on a platform rated 13+.
What Steam Allows:
- Anyone can send anything to anyone (including children)
- Anyone can write anything to anyone (no keyword filtering)
- NSFW images sent directly to minors (no detection)
- Explicit sexual content in messages (no filtering)
- Grooming messages (no pattern detection)
- Predator recruitment (no intervention)
Steam's position: "This is not Steam's concern - it's the parents' responsibility."
Steam Does Not Combat Bullying, Harassment, Doxxing, or Swatting
Steam provides ZERO protection against bullying, harassment, doxxing (publishing private information), or swatting threats - all rampant on the platform.
What Steam Ignores:
- Bullying and harassment campaigns - no intervention
- Doxxing (publishing addresses, phone numbers, personal data) - not filtered
- Swatting threats (false emergency calls to victim's address) - not reported to police
- IP logger links - not filtered or blocked (users exposed)
- IP address leaks - Steam doesn't protect user IPs from exposure
- Personal data exposed by malicious actors - no protection
- Exploitation threats - criminals use leaked data for blackmail
- Physical threats based on doxxed information - ignored
Steam provides infrastructure for criminals to gather and weaponize user data against victims - including children.
IP Loggers: A Tool for Harassment and Worse
IP logger links are widely shared on Steam to reveal users' locations:
- Malicious users send IP logger links (Grabify, IP Logger, etc.) in messages and profiles
- Victims click links - their IP address and approximate location revealed
- Attackers use this data for doxxing, swatting, physical threats, stalking
- Steam does NOT filter these links despite being trivially detectable
- Steam does NOT protect user IPs from exposure through other vectors
- No warnings to users about malicious link detection
Why don't they filter IP loggers? The technology exists. Every URL shortener can detect known IP logger services. Steam CHOOSES not to protect users.
Real-World Consequences: Children Being Doxxed and Threatened
The lack of protection leads to real harm:
- Children's home addresses posted publicly on profiles
- Phone numbers of minors shared for harassment
- School information posted to threaten children
- Parents' information leaked for extortion
- Swatting threats against families (false armed emergency calls)
- Stalking using location data from IP addresses
- Physical threats based on real addresses
Steam Blackmails Users Instead of Reporting Crimes
When Steam discovers criminal activity, they don't report it to authorities - they use it as leverage to blackmail users.
Steam's Blackmail Tactics:
- Discovers rule violations or crimes on platform
- Does NOT report to law enforcement (even serious crimes)
- Instead: Uses as leverage to silence users
- Threatens permanent bans if users complain or seek legal recourse
- Extorts compliance through fear of losing accounts
- "Shut up or lose your $1M account" - this is blackmail
Steam weaponizes "violations" to control and silence victims of their abuse.
Pattern of Retaliation and Threats
When users try to exercise their legal rights, Steam retaliates:
- File GDPR request? Account gets "additional violations" invented
- Contact consumer protection? Account permanently terminated "as revenge"
- Hire lawyer? Suddenly "sold account on May 3rd" (fabricated evidence)
- Request FBI investigation? Ignored and mocked
- Go public? Threatened with legal action for "defamation"
This is organized criminal behavior: Using threat of financial loss to silence victims and obstruct justice.
Steam's Deliberate Choice to Endanger Children
Valve decided that a platform with millions of users aged 13+ does NOT need:
- NSFW image filtering (technology exists - they choose not to use it)
- Keyword filtering for drug sales (trivial to implement)
- Pattern detection for grooming behavior (exists in other platforms)
- Age-appropriate content restrictions (deliberately absent)
- Parental controls that actually work (joke-level implementation)
- Report button for child endangerment (doesn't exist)
Steam: An Arena for Predators
Court documents and legal cases have documented Steam as a platform where predators operate freely.
Documented in Legal Cases:
- Steam is mentioned in child predator cases
- Platform used for grooming and recruitment
- Direct messaging to minors with no oversight
- Trading system used to establish trust with children
- Friend system exploited to bypass parental awareness
- Profile comments used for predator communication
These facts appear in court documents - but Steam hides them. Why?
Why Does Steam Hide This Information?
The existence of child endangerment on Steam is documented in legal cases, but actively suppressed:
- No transparency reports on child safety incidents
- No public acknowledgment of the problem
- No cooperation with child safety organizations
- No implementation of industry-standard protections
- Active suppression of information about predator activity
Who Benefits From Steam's Negligence?
Steam's refusal to implement basic child safety measures raises critical questions:
The Questions:
- Who benefits from Steam remaining a predator playground?
- Who is protecting Steam from legal consequences?
- Why do crimes against children on Steam get covered up?
- What deals has Steam made to avoid accountability?
- Who has the power to keep these cases out of public eye?
Comparison: What Other Platforms Do
Every major platform has implemented child safety measures - except Steam:
Industry Standards (That Steam Ignores):
- Discord: NSFW filtering, keyword detection, mandatory age verification, reporting tools
- Facebook/Meta: AI content moderation, predator detection, extensive parental controls
- Xbox Live: Automatic content filtering, strict communication controls, family settings
- PlayStation Network: Content filtering, age-appropriate restrictions, monitoring tools
- Roblox: Heavy moderation, chat filtering, parental controls, safety reporting
- Minecraft (Microsoft): Chat filtering, content moderation, parental controls
What Steam Does:
- ✗ Nothing.
- ✗ Zero filtering.
- ✗ Zero moderation.
- ✗ Zero protection.
- ✗ "Not our problem."
The Technology Exists - Steam Refuses to Use It
Steam could implement child safety measures TODAY with existing technology:
- NSFW Image Detection: Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Vision (instant implementation)
- Keyword Filtering: Basic text analysis (hours to implement)
- Pattern Recognition: Detect grooming behavior (days to implement)
- Drug Sales Detection: Simple keyword lists (minutes to implement)
- Age-Based Restrictions: Already have age data (toggle a setting)
- Parental Controls: Other platforms solved this years ago
Steam has the technology, the resources, and the knowledge to protect children.
They choose not to. This is not negligence. This is a deliberate decision.
Real-World Impact: What's Happening to Children
While Steam does nothing, children are:
- Exposed to drug sales advertisements daily
- Targeted by drug dealers in local chats
- Sent explicit NSFW content by strangers
- Groomed by predators using trading system
- Recruited into illegal activities
- Contacted by adults with no oversight
- Gambling addictions developed (see Violation #10)
- Scammed out of items purchased with parents' money
Steam's Response: "Parents' Responsibility"
Steam claims child safety is solely the parents' responsibility - while providing zero tools for parents to protect their children.
Steam's "Parental Controls" Are a Joke:
- Can't block direct messages from strangers
- Can't filter NSFW content
- Can't prevent trading with adults
- Can't monitor chat conversations
- Can't block access to gambling sites (Steam Inventory Helper)
- Can't restrict friend requests from adults
- Can't detect grooming behavior
- Can't report predators effectively
Steam tells parents it's their responsibility - then provides no tools to protect children.
Legal Implications: Crimes Against Children
Steam's platform facilitates multiple crimes against children:
- Drug Sales to Minors: Providing infrastructure for dealers (felony in most jurisdictions)
- Child Endangerment: Knowingly operating unsafe platform for minors
- Distribution of Harmful Material: No filtering of explicit content to children
- Facilitation of Predatory Behavior: Documented in court cases
- Gambling to Minors: Enabling underage gambling (see Violation #10)
- Failure to Report: Not cooperating with law enforcement on child safety
Why Is This Being Covered Up?
The most disturbing question:
Who is protecting Steam?
Court documents show Steam's platform used in child predator cases.
Yet these cases are suppressed, hidden, kept from public awareness.
Steam faces no consequences. No regulation. No oversight.
Drug sales to children for 5+ years. Nothing happens.
Who has the power to protect a company facilitating crimes against children?
Who benefits from keeping these crimes hidden?
Why does Steam:
✓ Allow drug sales to children for 5+ years without action?
✓ Refuse to implement NSFW filtering on a 13+ platform?
✓ Provide zero tools for parents to protect their children?
✓ Allow predators to operate freely without consequence?
✓ Refuse to filter IP loggers and doxxing content?
✓ Blackmail users instead of reporting crimes to authorities?
✓ Retaliate against victims who seek legal help?
✓ Hide information about child endangerment cases?
✓ Refuse industry-standard child safety measures?
✓ Face zero regulatory consequences despite documented harm?
✓ Cooperate with Russian censorship but not child safety organizations?
Answer: Because someone powerful is protecting them.
Drug dealers reach children. Predators groom victims. Explicit content flows freely.
Doxxing and swatting threats. IP addresses stolen. Physical safety compromised.
All documented. All known. All ignored.
Who protects those who hurt children?
The Billion-Dollar Monopoly Targeting Children
Is a billion-dollar monopoly that profits from children - with zero accountability, transparency, or oversight - worthy of this market position?
Don't Children Deserve Better?
- Don't children deserve safety on platforms they use daily?
- Don't children deserve transparency about how their data is used?
- Don't children deserve protection from predators, drug dealers, and criminals?
- Don't parents deserve tools to actually protect their children?
- Don't families deserve recourse when harmed by corporate abuse?
Instead, Steam gives them: Drug markets. Predator playgrounds. Doxxing. Threats. Blackmail. Retaliation.
This is not what "safe for children" looks like.
Why Does Everyone Look Away?
This is not normal. This should not be acceptable. Yet everyone - regulators, media, politicians - looks away.
The Questions No One Will Answer:
- Why does no one control or inspect Steam?
- Why does no regulatory body investigate?
- Why do politicians stay silent?
- Why does media ignore these stories?
- Why are whistleblowers silenced?
- Why do victims get blackmailed instead of helped?
- Why is a company working with Chinese and Russian intelligence services operating from Washington?
Steam Only Hears Law in the USA (Maybe)
In the United States, Steam might listen to regulators (maybe). In the rest of the world? They completely ignore law and regulators.
Why Steam Ignores International Law:
- Fines are easily offset by gambling profits, banned accounts, marketplace fees
- No country can shut them down - they operate from U.S.
- Victims can't afford lawyers - especially international cases
- Regulatory capture - someone protects them in Washington
- Too big to regulate - monopoly power prevents enforcement
But how long will this be considered a "good platform safe for children"?
The Most Disturbing Questions
Why Can This Even Exist?
Why does no one control this?
Why does no one inspect this?
Why does a company working with Chinese and Russian intelligence services operate from Washington D.C.?
Who has the power to allow this?
Who benefits from children being endangered?
Who protects those who hurt children for profit?
- Screenshots: Drug sales in local geo-based chats (5+ years of documentation)
- Court documents: Steam mentioned in child predator cases
- User reports: Thousands of ignored reports about child safety
- Technical analysis: Proof of zero content filtering implementation
- Comparison data: Industry standards Steam refuses to implement
- Expert testimony: Child safety professionals willing to testify
Call for Investigation: Crimes Against Children
We Demand Immediate Investigation By:
- FBI Crimes Against Children Unit
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
- Department of Justice - Child Exploitation Section
- Federal Trade Commission - Child safety regulations
- Congressional Committees - Oversight on child online safety
- State Attorneys General - Child endangerment charges
- DEA - Drug sales to minors via platform
Steam is not a gaming platform. Steam is a hunting ground for predators and drug dealers.
They provide the infrastructure. They refuse basic safety measures. They hide the evidence. They face no consequences.
When companies that hurt children are protected from accountability, we must ask: Who is protecting them, and why?
Tax Fraud
Labor Law Violations
Overview: Steam Employees Work "Unofficially"
Steam employs workers who are not officially registered as employees. These workers receive salaries while officially registered as "unemployed" - a deliberate tax evasion scheme.
The Russian Employment Fraud (Since ~2014)
Steam employees in Russia work for Valve but are not officially employed:
The Scheme:
- Workers employed by Steam since approximately 2014
- Officially registered as "unemployed" with Russian authorities
- Receive salaries from Valve - but "under the table"
- Work continues to present day (2025) - over 10 years
- No official employment contracts on record
- No social security contributions paid
- No official tax withholding by employer
This is systematic employment fraud and tax evasion by a U.S. corporation.
Why This Fraud Scheme Benefits Steam
By keeping employees "unofficial," Valve evades multiple legal and financial obligations:
1. Tax Evasion (Russian Side)
- No employer taxes paid to Russian government
- No social security contributions (Pension Fund, Social Insurance Fund)
- No payroll tax (13% personal income tax not withheld)
- No unemployment insurance contributions
- Estimated savings: 30-34% of salary costs avoided
2. Labor Law Evasion
- No employment rights for workers (sick leave, vacation, severance)
- No liability for workplace injuries or conditions
- No union protections or collective bargaining
- Workers can be terminated instantly without legal recourse
- No employment discrimination protections
3. Sanctions Evasion
- No official presence in Russia (on paper)
- Avoids scrutiny from OFAC and U.S. regulators
- Can claim "no employees in Russia" to authorities
- Hides scale of Russian operations from public view
The Workers: Trapped in Illegal Employment
Workers in this scheme have no legal protections and face serious personal risks:
Worker Vulnerabilities:
- No official work history - years of employment "don't exist"
- No pension contributions - losing retirement benefits
- No health insurance through employment
- Personal tax liability - workers must report income or face criminal charges
- Can't prove employment for mortgages, loans, visas
- Can be fired instantly with no recourse
- Complicit in tax fraud - legal risk for workers themselves
Valve exploits workers while evading legal obligations.
How This Works: The Payment Structure
Valve likely uses one of these methods to pay "unofficial" workers:
Possible Payment Methods:
- Contractor Agreements: Workers classified as "independent contractors" (but function as employees)
- Offshore Payments: Salaries paid through foreign entities (Cyprus, Malta, etc.)
- Cash Payments: Direct cash transfers to avoid banking records
- Cryptocurrency: Using crypto to hide payment trails
- Third-Party Intermediaries: Shell companies used to obscure employer relationship
All of these methods are designed to hide the employment relationship and evade taxes.
Why Since 2014? The Crimea Connection
The timing is not coincidental. 2014 was when Russia annexed Crimea and initial sanctions began.
- 2014: Russia annexes Crimea, U.S. imposes first sanctions
- 2014: Steam shifts to "unofficial" employment in Russia
- Coincidence? Unlikely - this was a deliberate strategy
- Goal: Maintain Russian operations while hiding them from U.S. regulators
- Result: 10+ years of systematic tax fraud and labor exploitation
Scale of the Problem: How Many Workers?
The exact number is unknown, but we can estimate:
- Steam has millions of Russian users
- Russian-language customer support team needed
- Russian content moderators (such as they are)
- Russian payment processing specialists
- Russian legal and compliance staff (working with RKN)
- Estimated: 50-200+ workers in Russia alone
If replicated in other countries, the global scale could be 500-1000+ unofficial workers.
Legal Violations: Multi-Jurisdictional Fraud
United States Violations:
- FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act): Bribing officials through tax evasion schemes
- IRS Reporting: Failure to report foreign employment and payments
- OFAC Sanctions: Hidden operations in sanctioned jurisdiction
- Securities Fraud: Misrepresenting operational costs to shareholders
- Money Laundering: Structuring payments to avoid detection
Russian Violations:
- Tax Code Article 226: Failure to withhold personal income tax
- Labor Code violations: Employing workers without contracts
- Social insurance fraud: Not paying mandatory contributions
- Administrative Code: Operating without proper business registration
International Law:
- OECD Guidelines: Multinational enterprise standards violated
- ILO Conventions: Worker rights violations
- Transfer Pricing Rules: Manipulation of inter-company transactions
Why Russian Authorities Allow This
Russian authorities are aware but allow it - this reveals the corrupt relationship between Steam and Russian government.
Why Russia Tolerates Steam's Fraud:
- Steam cooperates with Roskomnadzor (RKN) on censorship (see Violation #11)
- Steam provides entertainment to Russian population (political stability tool)
- Steam employs Russians (unofficial jobs still reduce unemployment)
- Steam pays some taxes (VAT on sales, even if not employment taxes)
- Quid pro quo: Steam gets tax breaks in exchange for cooperation
This is corruption at the highest level - a U.S. company and Russian government in illegal partnership.
Financial Impact: Millions in Evaded Taxes
Conservative estimate of tax evasion over 10 years (2014-2024):
Estimated Tax Evasion (Russia Only):
- Number of workers: ~100 (conservative estimate)
- Average annual salary: $30,000 USD equivalent
- Employer tax burden: ~34% (Russian social contributions + payroll taxes)
- Annual evasion per worker: ~$10,200
- Total annual evasion: ~$1,020,000
- Over 10 years: ~$10,200,000
Over $10 MILLION in evaded Russian taxes - just for Russia. Global total likely $50M+.
Other Countries: Likely the Same Pattern
If Steam is doing this in Russia, they're likely doing it elsewhere:
- China: Similar "unofficial" employment likely
- CIS Countries: Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine (before war)
- Southeast Asia: Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam
- Latin America: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico
- Pattern: Countries with weaker labor enforcement and corruption
Why This Matters: Beyond Money
This isn't just about tax evasion - it reveals Steam's fundamental operating philosophy:
- Rules don't apply to Valve - they operate above the law
- Workers are exploitable - no rights, no protections
- Corruption is acceptable - bribing governments through cooperation
- Fraud is normalized - systematic illegal activity for over a decade
- No accountability - despite public evidence, no enforcement
✓ Employ workers "unofficially" for over 10 years?
✓ Evade $10M+ in Russian taxes (likely $50M+ globally)?
✓ Exploit workers by denying them legal protections?
✓ Hide employment relationships from U.S. regulators?
✓ Start this scheme in 2014 (exactly when Crimea sanctions began)?
✓ Face zero consequences despite public evidence?
✓ Maintain corrupt relationships with foreign governments?
✓ Violate labor laws in multiple jurisdictions simultaneously?
Answer: Because Valve operates above the law - and powerful interests protect them.
10+ years of systematic fraud. Millions in evaded taxes. Workers exploited.
Who protects a company that commits fraud in multiple countries?
- Worker testimony: Current and former "unofficial" employees willing to speak
- Payment records: Evidence of offshore/irregular payment structures
- Timeline analysis: Correlation between 2014 sanctions and employment changes
- Tax analysis: Calculation of evaded taxes across jurisdictions
- Comparative data: How legitimate companies handle international employment
- Russian government records: Lack of official Valve employment in Russia despite operations
Call for Investigation: Multi-Jurisdictional Fraud
- U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax evasion and offshore payments
- U.S. Department of Labor - International labor standards violations
- U.S. Treasury OFAC - Hidden operations in sanctioned jurisdictions
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) - Misleading shareholders
- U.S. Department of Justice - FCPA violations, money laundering
- Russian Federal Tax Service - Payroll tax evasion
- Russian Ministry of Labor - Labor code violations
- OECD - Multinational enterprise standards violations
- International Labour Organization (ILO) - Worker rights violations
Valve employs workers "unofficially" to evade taxes, exploit labor, and hide operations from regulators.
10+ years of systematic fraud. Multiple countries. Millions in evaded taxes. Workers denied basic rights.
This is not a mistake. This is deliberate, calculated, multi-jurisdictional fraud - and someone is protecting them from consequences.
