Twitch is changing how it penalizes rule breaking by replacing its all or nothing suspension system with two targeted options that separate streaming restrictions from chat restrictions. The company said on Tuesday that the update is designed to match penalties to specific violations, instead of cutting off all access whenever a temporary suspension is issued.
Shift From The Previous System
Under the earlier approach, a temporary suspension removed a user’s access to the platform in full. A suspended user could not stream, could not chat, could not watch streams while logged in, and could not access basic account information. Twitch said that while this method was simpler to run, it did not reflect the differences between types of violations.
How Streaming Suspensions Will Work
If a user violates Twitch’s Community Guidelines during a livestream, their account will receive a streaming suspension. During this period, the user will not be able to go live, and chat on their channel will be temporarily disabled. The user will still be able to watch streams while logged in, chat on other channels, and access the user dashboard. Viewers will also still be able to watch the user’s existing clips and videos.
How Chat Suspensions Will Work
If a user violates the Community Guidelines in chat, the penalty will focus on chat access. The user will be blocked from chatting on other channels but will still be able to stream their own content and watch other streamers. Twitch said that users who receive a chat suspension can still chat in their own channel, but they will not be able to take part in chats on other streams.
Severity And Combined Penalties
Twitch said that more serious violations will trigger both types of suspensions at the same time. In a blog post, the company said that higher severity violations present a greater risk to the community and will receive both chatting and streaming suspensions to prevent further harm. The company also said that users who commit the most serious violations will still receive an indefinite suspension and lose all access to Twitch.
Length And Escalation Of Suspensions
The company said it is not changing the duration of temporary suspensions. Streaming and chatting suspensions will continue to last from 24 hours to 30 days. Twitch said that each new violation will result in a longer suspension and that multiple temporary suspensions can still lead to an indefinite suspension. The company determines the severity of a violation by looking at the extent of harm it causes or could cause, and it defines harm as actions that lead to physical, emotional, social, or financial damage to a user or to Twitch.
Future Updates
Twitch said it is working on additional suspension types that will be introduced in future updates.
Featured image credits: Flickr
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