On massively used platforms such as Twitch, it is common for content to appear from time to time that violates the platform’s terms of use.
Whether due to a complaint from another user, the action of a moderator, or through an automatic system, these actions usually result in the suspension – or banning – of an account. Until recently the notifications of this condition were brief, but now they will begin to provide more details on each particular case.
The new system of account suspension notifications on Twitch
As in any other digital platform, although it is a rare practice, from the moment a person registers on Twitch, it becomes their responsibility as a user to be aware of their Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.
Twitch assumes that each user is aware of these rules. Therefore, any violation of its rules may result in a temporary or indefinite suspension.
On its help portal, Twitch indicates how to proceed in each of these cases. However, until recently, the notices sent to violators only indicated the rule infringed but did not specify the specific grounds for the suspension.
The procedure for notifying these situations has changed, as recently notified by Twitch through its support Twitter account. At the time of suspension, affected streamers will receive a notification stating the name and date of the content that violated the platform’s rules.
Considering the type of content circulating on this platform, despite being an important advance over the previous system, these notifications may not be as specific as necessary. A common clip among those found on Twitch may contain hours of recording. If only one sound, among many used, violated a copyright license, it could be difficult to identify it, for example.
Incidentally, unauthorized music use is one of the big challenges to be filtered within Twitch. Last year, the company issued a large series of content takedown notices for copyright infringement, coupled with an account suspension, without giving creators specific information about which videos violated copyright.
With this new solution, the management of these situations could be streamlined, giving the possibility of appealing a suspension with greater clarity, in case of an error. However, for the above reasons, the impression remains that this notification mechanism could be further improved. Without going too far, we can look at the case of YouTube, whose strict penalty notification system specifies in detail the infringement committed.
