Twitch is warning streamers that their viewership numbers may appear a bit smaller in the coming days after over seven million bot accounts were discovered boosting follower and viewer counts.
On April 14, the Amazon-owned streaming platform revealed that it was taking action after 7.5M accounts were discovered to be in violation of the site’s TOS.
According to Twitch, these accounts were created to view and follow bot, which makes some streamers appear more popular than they actually are.
In a tweet, the platform explained how these accounts were detected through machine learning technology and as time goes on, it will be able to detect even more of these abuses.
🛡️ We have been monitoring the rise of fake engagement on Twitch and have identified 7.5MM+ accounts that break our TOS by follow-botting and view-botting. We are taking action on these accounts and appreciate all of the reports about this issue.
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) April 14, 2021
“We engage in enforcement when necessary including pursuing legal action,” Twitch warned, suggesting that any individuals behind the botting could soon find themselves in a courtroom.
“As a result of these removals, you may see sudden decreases in your follower and viewer count over the coming days,” the site added and advised any streamers who believe they have been view or follow-botted to read their help article.
Follow bots have been an issue on Twitch for some time now with both big and small streamers being affected.
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As a result of these removals, you may see sudden decreases in your follower and viewer count over the coming days. If you believe that you were follow- or view-botted, please check out our help article. 📚 https://t.co/R82r7NA90A
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) April 14, 2021
In one instance, LosPollosTV gained a whopping 2 million followers overnight, prompting the streamer to issue a sarcastic congratulatory statement, thanking all his new “fans.”
Earlier in April, AdinRoss found himself on the receiving end of 3 million new followers in a single day, as did Chance ‘Sodapoppin’ Morris back in December of 2020.
Twitch advises anyone who believes they have been botted to report it and not to panic as the company states, “if you are not responsible for botting, Twitch will not take action against you.”
“While being botted may be stressful and a distraction, try not to panic and carry on as you would otherwise,” the streaming site advises. “Botting can bring a lot of attention and you may be asked about your viewership. Feel free to calmly explain the situation or ignore such questions altogether.”
It will be interesting to see which channels were the greatest victims of view and follow bots and how Twitch will continue to enforce these rules in the months ahead.
