Over the past week, there has been a flurry of allegations made within the games industry, many of them serious accusations about harassment and abuse. As a result, Twitch has now begun the process of investigating these allegations seriously and banning users with “credible” claims attached to them.
In a blog post made on June 24, Twitch says it is “reviewing each case that has come to light as quickly as possible while ensuring appropriate due diligence as we assess these serious allegations”. As a result, the streaming platform has “prioritised the most severe cases and will begin issuing permanent suspensions in line with our findings immediately”. In the cases that these alleged incidents took place outside of Twitch, they will require more information to make a decision on suspensions.
The post continues to say that it’s “also committed to continuing our efforts to make Twitch a safer environment with more tools to combat harassment and hate. We have work underway including a review of our Hateful Conduct and Harassment policies, enhanced offensive username detection, improvements to AutoMod and our Banned Words list, and other projects focused on reducing harassment and hateful conduct.
“Those who have come forward have shown incredible strength, vulnerability, and bravery. We acknowledge that we can’t highhandedly tackle pervasive issues across the gaming and broader internet communities, but we take our responsibility as a service for our community seriously. We will continue to assess accusations against people affiliated with Twitch and explore ways Twitch can collaborate with other industry leaders on this important issue.”
According to Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau, Lowco, and Streamer Bans, five accounts have been permanently banned from Twitter so far.
