- Twitch has responded to the recent wave of hate raids with a new temporary measure that will increase channel moderation
- The platform responded to the boycott known as “Day Off Twitch” and reassured community creators that more measures are undertaken
- Twitch reassures community members that its efforts to keep the platform safe are never-ending
After the boycott that saw one million fewer viewers on Day Off Twitch, the platform has responded by reaffirming its commitment to clamping down on harassment practices conducted against content creators and community members.
Day Off Twitch Startles Twitch into Action
A “Day Off Twitch” has prompted the Amazon-owned giant to act quickly as it lost one million viewers and numerous content creators who boycotted Twitch for a single day. The move was designed to bring up awareness against hate raids, the despicable practice of online trolls ganging up together to bash people online.
These raids have repeatedly targeted LGBTQ+ community members on Twitch and have been a mix of humans and automated bots designed to throw around slurs as to denigrate the personality of the streamers. After Twitch was slow to act, prominent content creators said they would step in and make a decisive move off the platform – first for a day, and then consider their options from there.
While Twitch did not comment on the September 1 boycott, it seems to have decided to respond. Twitch will, for the time being, introduce temporary tools that allow users to swiftly increase moderations of their channels through a new level of AutoMod.
Twitch does acknowledge that these are temporary measures with the issue of hand deserving a far more in-depth response. In a new dedicated page on the website, the company explains that harassment of any kind will not be tolerated, and hate raids have now been included in what the platform considers harassment.
Twitch Will Not Stand for Hate Raids (Anymore)
The official statement read: “We are continuing to build new features to prevent the harm caused by malicious spam, botting, and raiding, but in the meantime, we wanted to highlight the tools that are currently available to help combat this kind of behavior. We know many Creators are already using these strategies, and have been sharing tactics and tools with each other, and we want to ensure this information is readily available for others who may need it”
Twitch did mention that it has been spending considerable efforts to guarantee the safety of the platform and focus on any signs of toxicity. Twitch found it necessary to explain this to content creators and regular users in an email blast that outlined the company's dedication and never-ending efforts to maintain a safe gaming environment for everyone.
Admittedly, Twitch recognized that these hate raids and toxicity can be frustrating, but the company was moving at a rapid pace to clamp down on any such actions of ill-will towards community members and content creators, the message explained.
