Twitch bans hundreds of Middle Eastern streamers at once

Twitch banned more than 200 partnered streamers, most of whom are based in the Middle East, in a massive wave of simultaneous bans that are reportedly related to an ongoing tax avoidance issue in the region, according to reporter Zach Bussey.

At the start of Feb. 19, streamers from the MENA region experienced sudden, mass payout blocks. The streaming platform sent out emails, citing tax issues as the reason for their payouts being withheld. Twitch faced immense backlash as countless streamers said they received payout freezes despite using the same tax information for years.

Streaming journalist Zach Bussey claims that many of these 200 or so bans will only be temporary suspensions, though it is unclear how long these suspensions will be or if any harsher bans will also be given out.

Twitch has yet to publish an official response regarding the situation. The streaming giant is notoriously hesitant to address any major controversy on its main social network channels, so it may be unlikely that Twitch directly shares any information with the public. Twitch has primarily communicated this situation through emails directly to affected users.

Though it seems that the initial wave of bans is over, this situation seems far from settled.