Twitch is finally giving streamers more information about bans, including sharing clips showing exactly where a violation occurred.
Bans have been an extremely controversial topic on Twitch, with many in the community demanding more transparency about infractions, urging the Amazon-owned platform to implement changes.
Over the years, there have been a handful of updates to the site’s policies, with Twitch CEO Dan Clancy even acknowledging that the ban system needs an overhaul.
At TwitchCon 2024, the streaming platform announced a series of changes on the way for bans, including providing creators with more clarity on why they have been suspended in the first place.
“Starting with Chat, we’ll share the excerpt of Chat where the violation occurred in the email you receive and in the appeals portal,” they explained.
Furthermore, Twitch says that down the line, they’ll be sharing clips of a violation so streamers can learn exactly what occurred during a stream or VOD and learn from their mistakes.
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“If you feel our decision was incorrect, you can appeal,” they added.
That’s not all; Twitch is also changing how account strikes work, noting that permanent strikes pose a problem for streamers. Twitch says that if a streamer has been broadcasting for a long time, a small infraction could push their account over the edge, resulting in a ban.
Strike SystemWe’re updating our approach to strikes by introducing strike expiration. Low-severity strikes will no longer put streamers’ livelihoods at risk, but we’ll still enforce the rules for major violations. Plus, we’re adding more transparency by showing you exactly what…
— Twitch (@Twitch) September 20, 2024
As such, in 2025, strikes will start expiring depending on the severity of the violation. Expect to learn more on this once the feature is fully implemented.
“These changes seek to improve clarity about our enforcements and reduce the risk that streamers lose their livelihood for low severity infractions,” the platform added. “To be clear, we will continue to issue suspensions, including indefinite suspensions for high-severity infractions.”
So far, there’s no exact date for when Twitch will start sending out clips to suspended streamers so they can learn why they were banned, but the company says account strikes will begin to expire in early 2025.
