Twitch Bans Are About To Make More Sense
People love Twitch, both as a free platform for entertainment where viewers can interact with their favorite streamers and as a place where they can start their own channels. That said, Twitch definitely has a shady side. The platform lacks a support system for new streamers trying to get off the ground, and has numerous DMCA takedowns that have made streaming a lot more complicated as streamers attempt to navigate murky copyright laws. Additionally, Twitch has been accused of unfairly handing out bans to some streamers while ignoring others with similar offenses. Then there have been issues with the length of the bans, with some streamers being out of commission for months while others are banned just a few days for the same violation (like with the live TV meta). Sometimes, streamers have been banned without even knowing what rule they broke in the first place.
Fortunately, it seems some of that is about to change. Twitch currently sends out emails describing the rule that was violated to the infringing streamer, but these are often unclear and leave how the streamer broke the rule up to them to figure out. A new article from The Washington Post has revealed that Twitch is currently exploring ideas for how to make ban notifications more specific.
Video descriptions may be the new norm
Angela Hession, the Twitch VP of trust and safety, was interviewed by The Washington Post about the new changes. She reportedly told them that Twitch would be adding video clips to the emails and that these would help make the infractions more clear by showing footage of the precise moment in the stream that the rule was broken. She also reportedly stated that these emails will include more specifics and attempt to clarify how the action violated Twitch's terms and conditions. "Safety is a journey, and this is a number-one ask from our community," Hession stated. "So we're looking at how we can attach more details for people to understand — like the video itself. That's something we're definitely working on."
This seems like it will certainly make the reasons why streamers are banned more clear, and hopefully it might even lead to Twitch addressing why some violations are punished more harshly than others. Having the exact video footage handy may also prove to be useful for streamers who feel that they have been punished unjustly to appeal their case. No mention was made of when Twitch might start using these more detailed notifications.