Twitch Has Been Banning 4 Partner Channels A Day Since January 1

More and more people are turning to Twitch for their gaming centered viewing needs. In fact, the number of channels on Twitch is up by 40% since last year, according to the company. With this increase in users, though, Twitch has taken a severe stance on comment and content moderation.

Part of this moderation is done through creator tools, such as auto-moderation, and the other part is done by the company itself. According to a report found in Forbes, Twitch has banned more than 270 of the sites top streamers—either permanently or temporarily. In total, the streaming site has banned 321 channels since the beginning of the year.

Today we released our first ever global Transparency Report, which provides an inside look at our safety approach, the reports we receive, and our work to keep communities safe.

You can learn more about the data and access the report via the blog:https://t.co/CFz350UUnO

— Twitch (@Twitch) March 2, 2021

<p value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">However, Twitch isn't always forthcoming with the reasoning behind the bans, and has even reversed its decision in a few cases. The highest-profile case that can be pointed to is the ban of Dr. Disrespect from the platform—a ban that neither Twitch or Dr. Disrespect has provided any explanation for. A British Call of Duty player was also banned "by mistake" from the platform and subsequently had their channel reinstated. However, Twitch isn’t always forthcoming with the reasoning behind the bans, and has even reversed its decision in a few cases. The highest-profile case that can be pointed to is the ban of Dr. Disrespect from the platform—a ban that neither Twitch or Dr. Disrespect has provided any explanation for. A British Call of Duty player was also banned “by mistake” from the platform and subsequently had their channel reinstated.

Of course, Twitch isn’t only for gamers. There are plenty of singers, commentators, and politicians who use the platform to communicate with their audiences—some of whom have also been banned.

As the platform continues to grow, there is an expectation that there will be more moderation needed to ensure that the company’s terms of service are followed.

Opinion

We’ve discussed it before on the podcast, but it appears as though Twitch, along with the rest of social media, is positioning itself to survive any changes to the way that “Section 230” is administered. If section 230 is changed at all, social media platforms, like Twitch, could be open to litigation because of the comments that are left on videos—whether Twitch endorses them or not.

That kind of threat is likely why Twitch is so eager to show what kind of moderation tools it has in place, as well as its willingness to ban channels regardless of the size of the community.

In short, this is a preemptive strike—one that’s meant to show congress that Twitch is acting “responsibly” in digital space.