Recently, Twitch made a subtle change to its reporting feature — but one of these changes might be more significant than you think. In an X post, reporter Zach Bussey shared that Twitch has altered its reporting system. More significantly, it’s giving users more categories to report a channel.
A screenshot shows a new option under the “Spam, Scam, Bots or Tampering” section entitled “viewership tampering,” which Twitch refers to as the “artificial inflating” of channel statistics like views. “Viewbotting” in turn falls under this category, but will this really put an end to the most prolific viewbotters?
Creators React To Anti-Viewbotting Feature
Fellow creators had mixed feelings about the introduction of this feature. “It’s about time” one wrote. “I can think of a few streamers who are probably shaking,” a second quipped. While a third noted that “this could be a great feature if Twitch actually handles this properly and isn’t using an automated system that may trigger bans on people who may be on the front page or being maliciously targeted.”
Indeed, a lot of X users echoed similar concerns about the feature. “Wow how many people will be reported who are innocent,” one X user posited. “I think this is a very bad idea.” While a second predicted that Twitch “won’t act on [reports] because there’s no proof the streamer bought the bots vs a viewer doing it against the streamers wishes. This is why so many people have bots.”
“So now we can get banned for something we’re getting targeted for?” a third creator asked. “Great, thanks for making my life harder Twitch…”
As well as acting as a deterrent for prolific viewbotters, it’s arguable that this feature will pave the way for a more honest platform. However, concerns about how the tool can be exploited shouldn’t be brushed under the carpet. It’s imperative that Twitch addresses these concerns so TikTokers know where they stand.
Further reading:
- Twitch Partners with StreamElements To Add Sponsorship Offers Directly to Creator Dashboard
- Want to Post a Twitch Highlight? It’s About to Become a Lot More Difficult
- Twitch CEO Opens Up About ‘Highly Subjective’ Moderation‘
- Twitch Just Had Its Lowest Month In Viewer Counts – But It’s Not All Bad News
