Twitch takes action against Linktree? Streamer accuses platform of double standards after indefinite ban

Michael Gwilliam
ExoHydraX banned on Twitch

A Twitch streamer is accusing the site of unfairly banning her because of content in her Linktree – something that many others on the platform use to promote their projects.

Update – July 19 at 5:51 EST

Twitch has suddenly unbanned ExoHydraX after only eight hours, telling the streamer that the ban was made an error.

The unban comes after Twitch was accused of unfairly targeting her for posting a Linktree on her chat that contained links to OF content.

Linktree is a popular tool that content creators use to present all their links in one place so their fans can easily find them. This includes Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch… The list goes on and on.

Linktree been quite controversial in that it allows for some creators to promote their adult content indirectly, seeing as Linktree serves as a middle-man.

Dexerto has reached out to ExoHydraX for comment.

Original story follows…

On July 19, the streamer was banned from the platform, apparently because of her Linktree.

Screenshots posted by ExoHydraX show Twitch claiming that she was banned for “soliciting money, services, or items of value for sexual conduct.” They also claim that this occurred in her public chat or in private.

ExoHydraX also took issue with the fact the other streamers, such as Amouranth, are able to have Linktrees and Twitch hasn’t taken action against their accounts.

“I had a Linktree command in my chat that linked to my OF. Just like many other streamers do ‘!socials’, which pops a Linktree and when you click on that it takes you to an OF page,” she told Dexerto. “But I am now the first to receive a ban for it.”

“I never ever directly linked to OF and we actually banned people who do and used !OF command,” she added. According to the streamer, if a viewer asked about OF, the command would read: “Onlyfans/Patreon talk is not allowed due to the TOS” in order to prevent people from talking about it.

This isn’t the first time that ExoHydraX has been banned either. Back in May, she accused Twitch of “racism” after being suspended for a controversial hot tub broadcast.

“I have a history of not being treated fairly with other girls on Twitch. I always get punished when others don’t and my body type is pretty much the reason why,” she told Dexerto. “If you’re curvier than the average thin streamer you’re seen as more sexual even though both streamers could be wearing and doing the same thing.”

It’s unclear if Twitch really is cracking down on Linktree content or if there was something else that resulted in ExoHydraX’s ban. Twitch doesn’t comment on individual suspensions, so it’s unlikely that we hear anything from them about this.

We’ll have to wait and see if Twitch issues a statement about Linktree going forward or if ExoHydraX’s indefinite ban was a one-off for another reason entirely.

About The Author

Michael Gwilliam is a senior writer at Dexerto based in Ontario, Canada. He specializes in Overwatch, Smash, influencers, and Twitch culture. Gwilliam has written for sites across Canada including the Toronto Sun. You can contact him at michael.gwilliam@dexerto.com or on Twitter @TheGwilliam