Admins running whitelisted servers for adult friends are getting enforcement emails from Mojang citing mild profanity like shit or fuck in their MOTD. The automated system does not appear to care about context, audience, or that the server is not public.
If you run a small Minecraft server for yourself and a handful of friends, you might assume Mojang leaves you alone. One operator just learned the hard way that is not true. Their ISP forwarded an email from the Mojang Enforcement team citing their server MOTD as a violation of the Minecraft Usage Guidelines.
The server was private, whitelisted, running Folia, and used only by adults. None of that mattered. The email listed multiple IPs with redacted MOTD text (s***, c***, b****, f***) and warned of an impending IP block after a five-day countdown. The admin told the subreddit they changed the MOTD immediately rather than risk losing connectivity for the entire network.
I run a simple private Folia server for myself and a few friends. We’re all adults, the server is whitelisted, and it isn’t advertised as a public server.
Automated enforcement without nuance
The email format matches other recent reports. Mojang’s team scans for language that could be considered obscene or harmful and leans on ISPs to act when servers do not comply. Their published guidelines ban unlawful, deceptive, obscene, harmful or abusive content and state that all servers must be suitable for all ages.
X user @CherryJimbo highlighted the issue on August 24, noting reports of MOTDs as mild as “block and shit” triggering alerts. The post quickly passed 1300 likes. Replies ranged from agreement that basic swears are cultural communication to defenses of strict enforcement to protect younger players.
This is not an isolated complaint. Similar stories have surfaced about Mojang pressuring larger anarchy servers in the past, but extending the same automated hammer to tiny private groups feels new and particularly tone-deaf. Changing a MOTD is easy. Losing faith that Mojang understands its own community is harder to fix.
- Private whitelisted server received formal enforcement notice via ISP
- Flagged words included common mild swears used as inside jokes
- Threat of full IP block rather than targeted player bans
- Community reaction focuses on lack of context awareness in Mojang's system
Server owners now face a practical choice: sanitize every visible string to corporate standards or hope their ISP ignores the notices. Neither option feels great for a game built on player creativity and ownership. Mojang has not issued a public statement on these specific reports as of this writing.