Twitch to Ban “Misinformation Superspreaders” Systematically

Facebook restricted four accounts of media controlled by Russian authorities and got banned in Russia. YouTube removes propaganda channels and may experience troubles too. As for Twitch, it seems far from info wars, but it also participates in preventing misinformation.

Thought of as a gaming-oriented platform, indeed Twitch features various types of content. For example, Twitch has many popular “hot tub” streams or those with domestic or wild animals. No wonder it has also attracted so-called “misinformation superspreaders”. And to effectively keep them out, Twitch updates its Spam, Scams, and Malicious Conduct Policy.

The updated guidelines introduce the concept of “misinformation superspreaders”. To gain such a title, a Twitch user should spread statements proven false about election fraud, COVID-19, or promoting violence. The user qualifies if they systematically spread widely disproven misinformation that is potentially or actually harmful.

This information can relate to anything, from conspiracy theories to propaganda by certain states that have already been refuted or get so in real-time. It’s hard to imagine an official Russian media channel on Twitch, but there can be formally independent accounts that effectively spread this propaganda.

Of course, these channels are rare on Twitch. The post on the official blog directly states that hardly will this new policy affect most viewers or the most popular streamers. Which can only mean that it’s aimed at those misusing the platform, along with those violating previously set rules.

Have you ever seen a channel on Twitch used to spread fake news or any misinformation? Could you recognize it? Do you think this movie is too precarious for Twitch? Let’s speak about it in the comments, but watch the content of your comment!