Leading video game streaming platform Twitch has begun cracking down on sexual misconduct, banning streamers for allegations of abuse.
Twitch streamers have been put under the microscope as of late, with the platform recently issuing sanctions for old videos containing licensed music, forcing internet celebrities to delete years worth of footage.
It seems the streaming giant is back at it, though this time handing out bans for a much more understandable reason.
While the entire entertainment industry gets rocked by another wave of the #MeToo movement, several streamers find themselves in hot water as allegations of sexual misconduct come to surface.
over the last 48 hours, dozens of women from within the gaming and streaming industry have levied sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, and sexual assault allegations towards several major Twitch streamers, YouTubers, gaming/esports personalities, and gaming industry personnel
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) June 21, 2020
Twitch’s renewed commitment towards a safe environment
According to a recent blog post on the official Twitch website, the streaming platform is hard at work individually reviewing every case of alleged sexual misconduct by their streamers, starting with the ones deemed most severe.
Depending on the results of their investigation, Twitch is prepared to issue permanent bans to its partners. However, for the large number of incidents that took place off-stream, more information would be required to reach a verdict.
Moreover, the live stream service stated that some cases would be better off in the hands of the appropriate authorities for a more meticulous investigation.
An update on our investigations into the recent allegations of sexual abuse and harassment involving Twitch streamers and actions we’re taking. https://t.co/OLJzU9LEVU
— Twitch (@Twitch) June 25, 2020
Twitch urged people who would like to share their own experiences or add information to ongoing cases to use the reporting tool found on each individual streamer’s channel. All information and identities will remain confidential.
In addition to their ongoing investigations, Twitch is also working on implementing revisions to some of their policies and adding more tools in the fight against harassment as stated in their blog:
“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.”
Some notable streamers that have been taken off-air
StreamerBans—a Twitter account dedicated to tracking and broadcasting Twitch bans—saw a significant surge in suspensions following the recent sexual misconduct allegations.
According to fellow streamer Casey “Lowco” Flexhaug, several high-profile personalities have been permanently banned during the past couple of days, including:
- Samuel “iAmSp00n” Earney
- Brad “BlessRNG” Jolly
- WarwitchTV
- DreadedCone
- Stephen “Wolv21” Trackim, Jr.
Permanent Twitch bans so far:
– iAmSp00n
– BlessRNG
– WarwitchTV
– DreadedCone
– Wolv21— Lowco (@LowcoTV) June 25, 2020
eSports journalist Rod Breslau also reported the permanent ban of renowned streamer Herschel “Guy” Beahm IV, better known as “Dr Disrespect”. Although the specific reason for the ban was not disclosed, Breslau ruled out DMCA as the cause.
Sources: it is not DMCA
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) June 26, 2020
Interestingly enough, Twitch has yet to take action against Tom “Syndicate” Cassell and Lono “SayNoToRage”, perhaps the two most prominent streamers to be accused of sexual misconduct, one of whom publicly admitted to his case.
Image courtesy of Twitch