Twitch begins banning streamers accused of sexual harassment

Twitch has started cracking down on users accused of sexual harassment on their platform, permanently banning streamers in “the most severe cases” and removing global emotes. They are also changing their policies regarding hateful conduct.

Dozens of Twitch streamers have been accused of sexually harassing and abusing other members of the gaming community over the last week. This includes Destiny streamer ‘SayNoToRage’ and Tom ‘Syndicate’ Cassell.

On June 21, the platform issued a statement saying they were working towards making the platform “safer for everyone.” A few days later, they are following through with their promise.

Starting on June 24, Twitch has permanently banned a number of streamers in relation to breaking the platform’s Hateful Conduct policy. This includes Australian streamer Brad ‘BlessRNG’ Jolly, the namesake of the global emote. The emote has also been removed.

“We are reviewing each case that has come to light as quickly as possible, while ensuring appropriate due diligence as we assess these serious allegations,” Twitch said in a statement.

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“We’ve prioritized the most severe cases and will begin issuing permanent suspensions in line with our findings immediately.”

They are also looking at updating their Hateful Conduct policies to better protect streamers and viewers while using Twitch. While the majority of accusations have been tied to incidents off platform, Twitch has noted they hold a duty to their community to take action.

“We have work underway including a review of our Hateful Conduct and Harassment policies, enhanced offensive username detection, improvements to AutoMod and our Banned Words list, and other projects focused on reducing harassment and hateful conduct.”

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“We acknowledge that we can’t singlehandedly tackle pervasive issues across the gaming and broader internet communities, but we take our responsibility as a service for our community seriously.”

A full list of banned users can be found below. We will update this as more information arises:

• BlessRNG
• DreadedCone
• IAmSp00n
• WarwitchTV
• Wolv21

This first ban wave is only the beginning of Twitch’s crackdown of harassment on the platform. In the coming days, weeks, and months, more streamers will be issued permanent suspensions.