Twitch Strengthens Policies Against Harassment and Hate

Twitch is implementing stricter guidelines for its content creators. The platform has recently broadened its hate and harassment policy, detailing additional unacceptable behaviors that violate its rules and may lead to account suspension.

Addressing Abusive Behavior

This update arrives as Twitch addresses ongoing concerns regarding abusive conduct and sexual harassment, both on the platform and internally within the company. A revised rule set was released in December, aiming to more effectively address harassment and abuse.

The company acknowledged that women, individuals from minority ethnic groups, and the LGBTQ+ community are disproportionately affected by toxic behavior occurring on the service.

Expanded Policy Scope

Twitch’s updated policies now encompass severe offenses that could present a safety risk, even if they occur outside of the streaming environment. These include violent extremism, terrorism, threats of widespread violence, sexual assault, and affiliations with recognized hate organizations.

The company will also continue to assess behavior occurring on other platforms in relation to incidents originating on Twitch, such as on-stream events that trigger harassment on social media sites like Twitter or Facebook.

Off-Platform Conduct and Investigation

“Although this policy is newly implemented, we have historically taken action against significant, unambiguous misconduct occurring off-platform,” Twitch stated in a blog post.

They added that a scalable approach was previously lacking, and investigating off-platform incidents necessitates additional resources due to their inherent complexity.

Reporting and Third-Party Support

To manage reports related to these expanded rules, Twitch has established a dedicated email address (OSIT@twitch.tv) for reporting off-service behavior.

The company has also partnered with an external investigative law firm to verify the accuracy of received reports.

Notable Enforcement Examples

Twitch points to its actions against former U.S. President Donald Trump as a prominent example of off-platform behavior resulting in enforcement.

Following the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Trump’s account was disabled and subsequently indefinitely suspended, due to concerns about his potential to incite violence through the platform.

High-Profile Bans

While the former President represents a significant case, he is not the only prominent user to be banned from Twitch. Last June, a major streamer was removed from the platform without a public explanation.

Nearly a year later, the reason for Dr. Disrespect’s removal from Twitch remains unknown. However, the company’s emphasis on acting only with a “preponderance of evidence” suggests the alleged violations were serious and well-documented.