OTK co-founder and Twitch streamer Esfand has received waves of criticism after he appeared to use his phone while driving his car on Jinnytty’s stream.
Twitch often takes a no-tolerance policy when it comes to streamers doing dangerous activities. with “distracted driving” counted by the site as “self-destructive behaviour” that could result in a ban.
And several streamers in the past have been caught out for using phones while driving. Popular IRL streamer JakeNBakelive was banned in March for the offense, while Adin Ross was banned for two days in July for texting and driving in his Lamborghini.
WoW streamer Esfand is the latest to enter the firing line, after he appeared to use his phone while driving on friend Jinnytty’s stream.
While it’s unclear whether Esfand was looking for directions or reading chat, responses to the situation were largely condemnatory towards him, with viewers concerned he might be putting others at risk.
“Why on earth can’t these streamers buy those accessories that mount their phones up on the dashboard? Or better yet, get a Sat Nav…” Redditor 3r0nic said.
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And user Badjourasmix commented: “I like Esfand a lot, but yeah this is stupid and he should be banned like all the other streamers who got banned for doing the same thing.”
Comment byu/Trigod7 from discussion inLivestreamFail
Twitch has typically handed out 7-day bans for this type of offense in the past, though in the cases of Ross and JakeNBake the bans were lifted after just two days.
And while the site’s TOS state: “You must respect all applicable local, national, and international laws while using our services,” there is no law in Texas that explicitly bans using mobile phones while driving, meaning any potential ban would come under self-destructive behavior.
Both Esfand and Twitch are yet to comment publicly on the situation, but we will update this piece should new information surface.
