Twitch introduces new devaluation strike program

Twitch is changing the way it enforces its Community Guidelines. In an announcement on its website, Twitch said it will implement a new enforcement strategy that will see strikes for certain violations softened over time, users will be able to get more information about their strikes, and users will be able to attend training sessions to reduce the severity of enforcement actions. In an interview with The edgeRob Lewington, Twitch's Vice President of Security Operations, and Kristen Murdock, Director of Security Risk and Response, talked about the new program and what it means for community moderation on Twitch.

Lewington said safety is Twitch's top priority. He said Twitch has over 105 million monthly users who watch 1.3 trillion minutes of content. But such massive numbers, combined with Twitch's age and popularity as a livestreaming destination, have created unique challenges in how the platform punishes people who violate its rules.

Currently, if a streamer violates any of Twitch's community guidelines, they will receive some sort of enforcement action such as a strike or suspension, which will then be credited to them in the form of a strike. After a certain number of strikes, that streamer's account may be suspended indefinitely. “We've had people on Twitch for a long time who have had enforcement actions in the past, but those don't expire over time,” Lewington said. “[This current system] is a punishment for people who have been on Twitch for a long time, and we don't want that.”

In this new system, strikes for “minor” offenses expire after a certain amount of time. Although accidental nudity was cited as an example, Twitch did not offer a comprehensive list of “minor” offenses, nor how long it would take for them to expire. “That's a work in progress,” Lewington said. “We're still working on the exact timelines.” However, he said strikes for serious offenses – incidents related to child safety, terrorism or hate behavior – will never lose value.

In addition to the strike expiration, Twitch will now provide users with more information when a violation occurs. Starting next year, Twitch will provide the relevant chat message or clip to explain the context of why an enforcement action was taken. Lewington says providing this information will help people better understand what they did wrong, while also giving them the tools they may need if they want to appeal.

The final part of Twitch's new enforcement strategy is to offer training courses to users when they violate the rules. As an example, Murdock described a situation where a person who was warned for hateful conduct was able to reduce the length of their ban by taking a relevant training course and quiz.

Murdock said Twitch worked with the Anti-Defamation League and other outside experts to develop these courses and quizzes on topics such as hateful conduct, sexual content and gambling. Their goal is to provide consistent messages to both streamers and moderators about what actions constitute a violation.

In summary, this new strategy reflects Twitch's desire to keep its communities safe while giving members who have made mistakes the opportunity to learn and grow from their experiences.