Twitch takes stand against misinformation actors

Twitch has updated its misconduct policy to define harmful misinformation and warned that those violating the policy would be banned. — Bloomberg

Twitch, better known for video game live streaming, is joining in the crackdown on harmful misinformation.

It posted an update to its Spam, Scams and Malicious Conduct Policy to spell out what is considered harmful misinformation and warned that those violating the policy would be banned.

“We do not believe that individuals who use online services to spread false, harmful information, have a place in our community,” it posted.

The company claimed that such individuals were not prevalent on Twitch, but admitted these users could cause “significant harm if allowed on our service”.

It assured that the update would likely not impact typical users and streamers, as the policy change is aimed at individuals dedicated to spreading harmful, false information. One-off statements with misinformation will not be penalised.

“We’ve partnered with over a dozen researchers and experts to understand how harmful misinformation spreads online and ensure our approach to mitigating its risks in our community is effective,” it posted.

Twitch added that the characteristics identifying such users was that their online presence was dedicated to persistently sharing widely disproven and broadly shared harmful misinformation topics, such as conspiracies that promote violence.

“We’ve selected these criteria because taken together they create the highest risk of harm including inciting real world harm,” it said, adding that their Off-Service investigations team will review such cases and take action against those that meet all these criteria.

It urged users to report those spreading misinformation and to include evidence where possible.