Twitch CEO Explains Why They Sometimes Ban Without A Good Reason

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In a recent statement, Twitch’s CEO, Dan Clancy, discussed instances where decisions can be quite ambiguous, resulting in occasional mistakes by the moderation team when handing out bans.

It’s no surprise that platforms such as Twitch, Kickstarter, and YouTube often encounter criticism over how they manage their content.

Each streaming platform sets its own rules for content creation, which must be adhered to during live streams or video production. Additionally, these platforms clearly define boundaries when it comes to content dealing with violence or inappropriate behavior.

Despite the intense efforts to remove inappropriate content from Twitch, moderators frequently encounter difficulties in maintaining these standards.

Subjectivity Plays a Major Role

On January 22, during a live stream, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy explained why the moderation team might mistakenly ban content creators and emphasized that subjectivity often comes into play when determining what is appropriate and inappropriate on Twitch.

Before delving into the intricacies of the subject, Clancy acknowledged that there are many individuals who make mistakes about it.

50 Shades of Purple

As a gamer, I’d put it this way: Sometimes, the rules of the gaming world can feel like a nebulous cloud. It’s like being in a game where the game master (the platform) has to make tough calls on who gets kicked out and who doesn’t. The problem is, just like how different players interpret the same rule differently, the platform might not always see things the same way twice. So when a creator gets banned, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve done something wrong – sometimes it’s just that the game master had a different view of the rules this time around.

Let’s assume for a second purple is not allowed but violet is, [content creators] want to be as close to purple without being it… The difference between violet and purple is very small and especially when you start talking about sexual content and that sort of thing, it can be very subjective. You’re gonna have a lot of people who are going to call it purple and then you’re gonna have some purple stuff that the raters call violet because it is not clear.

Nevertheless, Clancy continued to explain that although it holds true in some situations, it’s less about personal opinion in “other domains“.

How do you feel about the prohibitions on services such as Twitch? In your opinion, are these restrictions beneficial or should they be removed?

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2025-01-23 16:39