Twitch Will Reprimand Streamers With ‘Severe Off-Service Misconduct’

Twitch's logo (Image courtesy of Twitch)

Trust me, I am not yet elderly. I’m a spry young guy, but I do not understand Twitch. More specifically, I don’t understand the appeal for audiences. If you’re a twenty-something making six-figures playing League of Legends in front of a webcam, that is great and I wish you well. If you’re a twenty-something watching someone play League of Legends for hours at a time, I do not understand you. Twitch highlight reels? Cool. YouTube “let’s players?” Also cool. Watching someone play video games live and respond to chat messages? I have to admit, I am lost.

No matter, Twitch announced an update to their Hateful Conduct and Harassment policy Wednesday which affirmed that they will take action against streamers who have committed “serious off-service misconduct.”

In a press release, a Twitch spokesperson explained that “Taking action against misconduct that occurs entirely off our service is a novel approach for both Twitch and the industry at large, but it’s one we believe—and hear from you—is crucial to get right. Part of that means being clear with you about the limitations of our policy. At this time, we’re not able to investigate behaviors that occur entirely off Twitch that fall outside these categories. This is an iterative, ongoing process, and as always, our end goal is to build a safer Twitch for everyone.”

I am in full agreement with Twitch. And to further assert their commitment to the new policies, Twitch announced they are partnering with a senior law firm to assist with internal investigations and better determine streamers whose off-service conduct is egregious enough for action.

Twitch users who see, or know about off-service misconduct from a streamer can also email this address: OSIT@twitch.tv, to be considered by Twitch’s team.

“Strong communities are built on trust, and we are putting in place a rigorous process to enable us to conduct investigations thoroughly, equitably, and with sensitivity,” the companies statement then wrote, also specifying that they will only take action when reports and evidence has been verified by law enforcement or their own third party investigators.