A significant point of contention on Twitch is its banning system. Despite its relative leniency, many creators argue that the bans imposed are arbitrary and inconsistent. Hasan Piker, for instance, was banned for joking about killing US senator Rick Scott. Yet, his ban was revoked just 24 hours later.
Meanwhile, H3H3’s Ethan Klein was issued a 30-day ban for attempting to “content nuke” Piker. His ban was revoked that very same day. These types of situations have sparked outrage from fans and fellow creators, with xQc alluding that Piker, for instance, was receiving special treatment on the platform.
Twitch CEO Reacts to Controversy
Now, during an appearance on the podcast Channels, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy has directly responded to these concerns. During the conversation, Clancy blamed the nature of live streaming for the company’s erratic banning and moderation.
“On a VOD platform, like YouTube, you can edit something or take something down,” he said. “It’s hard to sit there and talk for six hours straight and not step over the line. It’s six to eight hours, [trying] to make sure you don’t step over the line, so it is the fact that sometimes people step over the line and you can’t just edit it out as you would on a VOD platform.”
Clancy’s point is that live creators deserve more understanding. He believes their inability to edit mistakes, unlike YouTubers, creates a unique challenge.
“I don’t think it’s contentious, it’s just tricky for both them and us to make sure, look, we keep it within the guidelines,” he added. “So, we have to see when somebody steps over the line and then do something to make sure they don’t step over the line consistently.”
The core issue remains: where is the line drawn? While Twitch now provides ban reasons, the implementation remains inconsistent after four years. And as it stands, Clancy appears unlikely to address said inconsistency.
