Live streaming app Twitch will begin disciplinary actions against users for misconduct that takes place not just online but offline as well. Aside from that, Twitch will also ban misconduct done by users on other social media platforms.
The company stated that it will ban people for off-service misconduct under its newly expanded harassment and hateful conduct policy.
Twitch to ban users for misconduct
The service will still target misconduct that takes place both on and off of the app, so if a user is harassing a streamer on the platform and on other platforms like Twitter, that calls for a ban on Twitch.
The updated policy adds a second category to tackle misconduct that does not happen in its premises.
Twitch stated that it will respond to any serious offenses that pose a substantial safety risk to the Twitch community, even if these actions happen off the app. The streaming platform will focus on behaviors that have the greatest potential to harm the community.
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According to Variety, the list of misconduct includes acts of deadly violence and violent extremism, explicit or credible threats of mass violence, terrorist activity, sexual exploitation of minors, abuse, and sexual assault.
Twitch gave other examples of instances under which the company will take immediate action, like threats against an in-person Twitch event or threats against the company and its staff, as posted on their official Twitter account.
The company wrote in a blog post that investigations of these kinds of actions are typically much more complex and that they require more resources than misconduct that happens on the app.
They said that for behaviors that take place off Twitch, they will rely heavily on law enforcement and other service to share relevant evidence before they can move forward.
The company may expand the policy in the future to cover more types of misconduct. It notes that it has taken action in the past over some serious, clear misconduct that happened off of the platform, but it has not had a scalable approach until recently.
Twitch has brought in a third-party investigations law firm to help it respond to reports of off-platform misconduct. It created a dedicated email address for reporting such actions too, those who wish to report any of the offensive behavior, they can sent it to OSIT@twitch.tv.
Twitch stated that anything sent to the email address will be treated confidentially and will be shared only with a small number of Twitch employees and the law firm.
Users who submit massive numbers of fake or frivolous reports, or encourage other users to send them, will be suspended from the app.
Twitch backlash
The update is a great improvement for Twitch, especially since last year the app came under fire after it failed to take action on complaints from several women about sexual harassment that they experienced on the platform.
In June 2020 during n a Twitch blackout protest, multiple streamers suspended livestreaming on their respective channels for 24 hours.
According to Polygon, more than 70 people have come forward with their own stories of harassment and accusing a lot of Twitch Partners and top streamers of misconduct including Tom "ProSyndicate" Cassell and Henry "HenryG" Greer.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Sieeka Khan
