Twitch Responds to Sexual Abuse and Harassment Accusations, Bans Several Streamers

Twitch has issued an official 'community' statement pertaining to the recent sexual abuse and [...]

By Tyler Fischer

Twitch has issued an official "community" statement pertaining to the recent sexual abuse and harassment accusations involving a number of high profile streamers on the platform. It has also permanently banned multiple streamers involved in the aforementioned accusations.

The statement follows yesterday's viral #TwitchBlackout campaign by numerous Twitch streamers and the larger Twitch community which sought to apply pressure to the Amazon-owned company and its leadership in pursuit of a more committal response than the one it provided earlier in the week to the accusations, which simply alerted the Twitch community that the company was investigating all of the aforementioned accusations.

"We want to provide an update on our investigations into the recent allegations of sexual abuse and harassment involving Twitch streamers and actions we're taking. 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. We've prioritized the most severe cases and will begin issuing permanent suspensions in line with our findings immediately. In many of the cases, the alleged incident took place off Twitch, and we need more information to make a determination. In some cases, we will need to report the case to the proper authorities who are better placed to conduct a more thorough investigation. For those who've come forward and would like to share additional information, and to anyone who hasn't shared their experience and wants to do so, you can report confidentially through the reporting tools on each streamer's channel page."

The official statement continued by noting that the Amazon-owned company is "committed to continuing" its efforts in making Twitch a safer environment, which includes providing more tools to combat not just harassment, but hate. More specifically, the statement outlines that Twitch is currently reviewing its Hateful Conduct and Harassment policies, as well as working on improvements to AutoMod and its Banned Words Lists. It's also working on improving its offensive username detection and "other projects focused on reducing harassment and hateful conduct."

"Those who have come forward have shown incredible strength, vulnerability, and bravery," adds the statement. "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. We will continue to assess accusations against people affiliated with Twitch and explore ways Twitch can collaborate with other industry leaders on this important issue."

As mentioned above, the ongoing investigation has already resulted in the permanent banning of multiple streamers, including BlessRNG, WarwitchTV, and Wolv21.

We will be sure to update this post as more information flows in.

To learn more about what you can do to prevent sexual violence, please consider donating to RAINN or visit RAINN's website for a number of resources. If you or a loved one has suffered because of sexual violence, contact RAINN's National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline.

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