Twitch is finally addressing the fight against hate raiders. The platform is now suing two alleged organizers of hate raids. This is how Twitch wants to send a clear message — some affected individuals feel that this is still not enough.
What happened? The live streaming platform Twitch is now suing two hate raiders, making it clear that hate is not welcome on our platform.
As a reminder: On September 1st, many, especially smaller streamers protested under the hashtag “#ADayOffTwitch” against Twitch, claiming that the platform was doing nothing against hate raids. This cost Twitch around 1 million viewers. The strike seems to have made an impact, as the authorities are now intervening and suing some of the offenders.
Two hate raiders are being sued: They should never be allowed to use Twitch again
What Twitch demands: In their statement regarding the lawsuit (via Scribd.com) against the alleged two hate raiders, CreatineOverdose and CruzzControl, the platform demands a strict ban: Both users should be prevented from using Twitch ever again by a restraining order.
The order also includes assistance with hate raids and hate botting, such as sharing their bot codes. Additionally, the company demands the coverage of court costs as well as damages.
So far, there has been no court proceeding. Whether the lawsuit will be successful remains to be seen. However, Twitch wants to send a clear message against hate on the platform. For this purpose, they are not shying away from this method.
Is the lawsuit too harsh? In a statement, Twitch officials mention why such a harsh measure is necessary.
We are working hard on improving ban evasion detection at the channel level and other account improvements to make Twitch a safer place for streamers.
Eurogamer (via Eurogamer.com)
The problem: Operators of hate raids repeatedly manage to circumvent these bans. Alternatively, they simply pass on their codes for chatbots to the next user. Therefore, Twitch is now resorting to a lawsuit that offenders cannot easily evade.
Affected individuals believe: Twitch needs to do more
Via Twitter, Twitch announced a new feature last night. Streamers will be able to plan their ad breaks with it. A win for Twitch and the streamer, but it doesn’t help users. And those who are concerned about hate raids won’t benefit from it either:
Nice to see where your priorities are. Streamers are threatened, addresses revealed, and attacked with racist and transphobic remarks. But don’t worry, we now have an ad manager.
@AnnieKrevice via Twitter
Thanks for a feature that no one asked for. How about some features to combat hate raids and bots? They are still everywhere, and you are doing nothing about it.
@AStar_Games via Twitter
This is how Twitch reacts to the affected individuals: In a further statement (via PC-Gamer.com), Twitch assures that addressing the problem of hate raids and bots is currently their top priority.
But what do you think, are Twitch’s attempts enough, or does it need a different approach to tackle this problem?
If you want to know how the #DayOffTwitch went in detail, check here: Twitch: Small streamers protest, big streamers profit – #ADayOffTwitch
