Twitch looks to combat ‘unfair’ bans and suspensions with video footage of violations

Twitch is hoping to combat claims of unfair bans and suspensions by providing more transparency measures, the company revealed in an interview with the Washington Post.

Twitch has experienced countless controversies during its relatively short stint as the world’s premier livestreaming platform. A near-constant criticism of the platform since its initiation has been its inconsistent banning and suspension methods. Countless streamers have rebuked Twitch for its current practices.

As it stands, Twitch only provides an email detailing the reason why the streamer was banned. These details typically only include the reason behind the ban, when the infraction occurred, and why the behavior resulted in a ban or temporary suspension. The details behind the streamer’s ban are often left as only a vague explanation of the regulations they allegedly broke and provide no insight into the specific case.

Naturally, this has led to mass confusion among banned streamers since most are unaware of exactly how they violated Twitch’s ruleset. Though the company has already made strides in transparency measures in regard to its ban appeals system, Twitch hopes to eliminate any confusion from the process altogether.

In an interview with the Washington Post, Twitch VP of trust and safety Angela Hession explained the site’s plan to include video of violations and further details regarding bans. “We’re looking at how we can attach more details for people to understand—like the video itself,” Hession said. “That’s something we’re definitely working on.”

Twitch clearly understands that its creators have taken issue with its banning process and notification methods, but the website certainly hopes to overcome its notoriously inconsistent reputation.