Twitch’s ‘no ban list’ intended to keep key talent from leaving the streaming platform
Twitch kept a secret ‘do not ban’ list that enabled famous streamers to flaunt rules that other users had to abide by, it’s been claimed.
A leaked list kept by Twitch has shed some light on the popular streamers and high-profile names on the platform who could not be easily banned by admins, less the company cause the stars wander off to other streaming sites.
The initial list was shared as part of the Twitch mega-leak that occurred earlier this month, and hinted that there were a few notable names that should not be suspended or banned from the site, even if they violated the various terms and conditions other streamers were beholden to.
As reported by Washington Post, the list is actually more of a moderation step that was designed to keep high-profile streamers online in the wake of minor misdemeanours or misunderstandings.
"It was a way to quickly put a banner up to the admins on duty so they wouldn’t just blindly ban another admin or a prominent staff [member] for something dumb," a former Twitch admin told Washington Post.
Specific names mentioned by the ex-employee include RiceGum and Tyler1, two names that appeared on the list. The source told the site that they “remember RiceGum and Tyler1 both being given way more grace than they should have been”, and said that “if one of us admins reported them anyway, we were told to kick rocks and pay attention to the ‘do not ban’ list.”
A little later, the source added that “Twitch refused to ban [RiceGum] outright because he got viewership”.
“It wasn’t quite a ‘get out of jail free’ card, but there were clearly some streamers who got treated with more chances or abilities than others,” they said.
Twitch has noted that the list is five years out of date, and that the moderation system it's attached to is no longer used by the company.
There's been a lot of controversy around Twitch over the past few years; whether it's been in banning streamers for sexual abuse allegations, suggestions that the CEO laughed off reports of abusive staff, or the ongoing issue with hate-raids, there are a lot of problems with the platform that many feel aren't being addressed properly.Seeing high-profile streamers get away with behaviours that would see smaller users banned will likley only agitate an already prickly userbase furhter.