Twitch recently issued a statement addressing the situation, saying that the update will likely not impact the streamers they love on the streaming platform Twitch. The company updated their terms of service and community guidelines to focus on whoever they deem “harmful misinformation actors.”
According to Twitch, their goal is to prohibit individuals whose online presence is dedicated to spreading harmful, false information from using Twitch.
So, how does Twitch determine what information is false? They reportedly collaborate with “misinformation experts” such as the Global Disinformation Index, and if the 2020 presidential election in the United States is in doubt, they also collaborate with election boards and congressional certification.
While Twitch now bans accounts for spreading false information, they claim that they only target accounts that “consistently share” information that is “widely disproven and widely shared,” as well as misinformation that they deem potentially violent or harmful. They’re only interested in accounts that address all three: the persistence of misinformation, the extent to which it is spread, and whether it has potentially harmful consequences.
Popular right-wing streamers and influencers Tore and Zak Paine (hosts of the show RedPill78) were banned almost immediately after the new policy went into effect.
The only place you can watch or listen to them now that they’ve been banned from almost every mainstream platform is on their official website.
