When streamers get banned on Twitch, it’s usually because they do something that violates the platform’s guidelines. But Chris ‘AirsoftPhatty’ LaFon is different. He received a ban for not doing enough.
What’s going on? The major streaming platform Twitch announced new rules for viewer chat and handling hate speech and harassment in its streams in December new rules for audience chat and dealing with hate speech and harassment. The new guidelines went live on January 22, and apparently, more and more streamers are being banned for paying little or no attention to the behavior of their chat and community.
Now, a larger streamer has been affected for the first time – Chris “AirsoftPhatty” LaFon. The streamer had about 70,000 followers, usually streamed in the “Just Chatting” category, and he had an average of 150 viewers (via twitchtracker.com). He has now received a permanent ban for his channel.
New regulations on hate speech and harassment lead to first bans
Why was he banned? The streamer posted the reason for his ban on Twitter. According to Twitch, he was banned for “Unmoderated hate-filled content”:
The exact reason remains unclear for now. Twitch outlines three possible scenarios in its ban message to the streamer:
- Allowing text-to-speech donations that contain hate-filled symbols
- Enabling users in the chat to spam hate-filled insults without moderating the messages accordingly
- Allowing videos submitted by viewers that are based on a xenophobic ideology to be played during the stream
AirsoftPhatty also asked in the tweet if anyone could help him moderate. While the ban came as a surprise, it seems clear to him that it relates to his unmoderated chat.
Twitch expects community moderation
What does this mean for other streamers? Community moderation, especially of the streaming chat, is a given for many big streamers. However, it becomes challenging in the semi-professional sector, like with AirsoftPhatty and his nearly 70,000 followers.
Smaller streamers will need to pay more attention to their chat’s behavior to avoid the risk of losing their channel permanently. In the Twitch guidelines on “Hate-Filled Behavior and Harassment”, it states under the heading “Creators are responsible for moderating hate-filled behavior and harassment in their communities” the following notice:
You are expected to utilize channel moderators and the tools provided by us tools such as AutoMod to impose temporary bans for chat and bans to mitigate hate-filled behavior and harassment in your channel.
If you do not utilize the tools provided to moderate hate-filled behavior occurring in your channel, this will lead to a ban.
In the case of harassment, streamers will be banned if they do not make a good faith effort to moderate hate-fueling or organizing abusive behavior in their channels using the provided tools.
From the Twitch Community Guidelines
How the platform checks the moderation behavior of its streamers remains uncertain. What seems certain is that streamers now have to demonstrate how they moderate their chat and community. Only then can they be safe from a ban should the chat spiral out of control.
Whether the streamer will get his channel back is also still uncertain. Another streamer, ZombieDoll, with nearly 30,000 followers, received a ban shortly after the new rules came into effect for the same reason (via Twitter) and her channel is still not accessible.
