Twitch
is
changing
the
way
it
enforces
its
community
guidelines.
In
an
announcement
posted
on
its
website,
Twitch
said
that
it
will
introduce
a
new
enforcement
strategy
in
which
strikes
for
certain
offenses
will
depreciate
over
time,
users
will
receive
more
information
regarding
their
strikes,
and
users
will
be
able
to
take
educational
courses
to
reduce
the
severity
of
enforcement
actions.
In
an
interview
with
The
Verge,
Rob
Lewington,
Twitch’s
VP
of
safety
operations,
and
Kristen
Murdock,
the
director
of
safety
risk
and
response,
spoke
about
the
new
program
and
what
it
means
for
moderating
communities
on
Twitch.
According
to
Lewington,
safety
is
Twitch’s
highest
priority.
He
said
Twitch
hosts
over
105
million
users
per
month
with
1.3
trillion
minutes
of
content
viewed.
But
such
enormous
numbers,
combined
with
Twitch’s
age
and
popularity
as
a
livestream
destination,
have
created
unique
challenges
in
how
the
platform
punishes
people
who
violate
its
rules.
Currently,
when
a
streamer
violates
one
of
Twitch’s
community
guidelines,
they
receive
some
kind
of
enforcement
action
like
a
warning
or
a
suspension,
which
then
counts
against
them
in
the
form
of
a
strike.
After
a
certain
number
of
strikes,
that
streamer’s
account
can
be
suspended
indefinitely.
“We’ve
had
people
on
Twitch
for
a
long
time
that
have
had
enforcements
in
the
past,
but
they
don’t
expire
over
time,”
Lewington
said.
“[This
current
system]
is
punitive
for
folks
who’ve
been
on
Twitch
for
longer
and
that’s
not
what
we
want
to
do.”
In
this
new
system,
strikes
for
“low
severity”
offenses
will
expire
after
a
certain
amount
of
time.
Though
accidental
nudity
was
given
as
one
example,
Twitch
did
not
offer
a
comprehensive
list
of
what
the
“low
severity”
offenses
are
nor
how
long
it
would
take
for
them
to
expire.
“That’s
still
a
work
in
progress,”
Lewington
said.
“We’re
still
figuring
out
the
exact
timelines.”
He
did,
however,
say
that
strikes
for
high-severity
offenses
—
incidents
relating
to
child
safety,
terrorism,
or
hateful
conduct
—
will
never
depreciate.
In
addition
to
expiring
strikes,
Twitch
will
now
offer
more
information
to
users
when
a
violation
occurs.
Starting
next
year,
Twitch
will
provide
the
relevant
chat
message
or
clip
to
give
context
on
why
an
enforcement
action
was
taken.
According
to
Lewington,
providing
this
information
will
help
people
better
understand
what
they
did
wrong
while
also
giving
them
the
tools
they
might
need
if
they
want
to
file
an
appeal.
The
final
part
of
Twitch’s
new
enforcement
strategy
involves
offering
users
educational
courses
when
a
violation
occurs.
As
an
example,
Murdock
described
a
situation
in
which
a
person
who
received
a
hateful
conduct
strike
was
able
to
reduce
the
length
of
their
suspension
because
they
took
a
relevant
educational
course
and
quiz.
Murdock
said
Twitch
worked
with
the
Anti-Defamation
League
and
other
outside
experts
to
develop
these
courses
and
quizzes
around
subjects
like
hateful
conduct,
sexual
content,
and
gambling.
Their
goal
is
to
create
consistent
messaging
for
both
streamers
and
moderators
on
what
actions
will
constitute
a
violation.
Taken
together,
this
new
strategy
represents
a
desire
at
Twitch
to
ensure
its
communities
remain
safe
while
allowing
members
who
have
made
mistakes
to
learn
and
grow
from
their
experience.
(Originally posted by Ash Parrish)
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