Twitch has once again modified its guidelines, marking the third alteration to its attire policies within a month.
Re-revising Guidelines to Ban Nudity
In this latest update, the platform explicitly prohibits streamers from simulating "full or partial nudity," as stated by Angela Hession, Twitch's VP of Trust and Safety.
Engadget reported that this adjustment follows the company's recent inconsistency, where initially, creators were given the green light to share "properly labeled" sexual content, only to reverse this decision just two days later.
Twitch has laid out explicit guidelines for streamers regarding nudity and suggestive content. The emphasis, underscored by Hession herself, reinforces the platform's commitment to maintaining a respectful and appropriate streaming environment.
The revised policy categorically prohibits streamers from appearing fully or partially nude, extending to actions like exposing genitals or buttocks and any implications thereof, such as covering body parts with objects or censor bars.
The prohibition even encompasses the visibility of genital outlines, even when concealed. Notably, the policy takes a firm stance against the broadcasting of nudity or partial nudity involving minors, regardless of contextual considerations.
Addressing those who present as women, Twitch requests the covering of nipples and advises against exposing underbust. Cleavage, however, is permitted, provided it adheres to the coverage requirements, making it clear that the streamer is wearing appropriate clothing.
For all streamers, mandatory coverage extends from the hips to the bottom of the pelvis and buttocks, as outlined in the updated policy.
Hession also shared ongoing initiatives within Twitch, such as the development of features like blurred thumbnails for streams with sexual themes and user-friendly content filtering based on labeled content.
As per The Verge, these efforts underscore Twitch's commitment to enhancing user experience and ensuring a responsible and inclusive streaming environment.
Previous Revisions
Following Twitch's recent relaxation of regulations on sexual content, the platform has once again adjusted its policies.
In December, Twitch updated its sexual content guidelines, permitting certain previously restricted content as long as it was appropriately labeled. However, within two days, a portion of the newly revised policy allowing for "artistic nudity" was revoked due to "community concern."
The media and community's pointed criticism of Twitch's initial embrace of sexually explicit material compelled the platform to acknowledge a misstep in its initial policy adjustment.
While the original decision aimed to allow for the "digital depiction" of artistic nudity, Twitch has now expounded on the reservations tied to the portrayal of sexual content in digital formats.
The platform emphasized that the utilization of artificial intelligence to generate lifelike images introduces concerns, as the distinction between digitally generated content and genuine photography becomes increasingly challenging.
Despite the backpedaling, content creators continued to test the limits of the revised policy. Some adopted tactics to imply full or partial nudity during their streams, such as strategically positioning cameras to suggest nudity.
Hession notes that while most streamers have correctly labeled their content with sexual themes (which removes them from Twitch's homepage), users might still encounter potentially suggestive thumbnails while browsing the site.
