Twitch to provide new blocking powers to combat online abuse

The live video streaming company Twitch will allow users to prevent blocked or banned users from viewing their streams, in a move designed to counter harassment on the platform.

The popular streaming service, mostly used to watch others playing video games, will launch the new feature in September.

At present, streamers can block users from their chats but this update will mean that they can also completely hide their streams from those who have been blocked by them directly or by the tech company’s moderators.

The Amazon-owned platform is also examining the option of adopting bans on specific IP addresses, to prevent harassers from making new accounts.

Harassment is a longstanding problem on the platform, which launched in 2011, and the new safety features are highly anticipated and have been frequently requested by streamers. Women on the platform have come forward with stories of harassment and abuse from men in the Twitch streaming community.

The app has also had issues with “hate raids” – where loyal fanbases of streamers attack other streamers and fill their comments with hate.

In May, a study into online gaming showed half of British female gamers had suffered abuse online, rising to 75% among those aged 18-24. One in 10 respondents said they were left feeling suicidal, and 25% of women said such messages made them depressed.

Twitch has previously introduced tools to detect when people make new accounts to circumvent channel bans. It has also shared ban lists between streamers so there is more transparency.

Trevor Fisher, Twitch’s senior product manager, said: “We’ve gotten a lot of feedback, over the years, that people want their channel bans to do more and we know that this is an area that people want us to do more on.

“If you ban somebody and they’re currently watching then the stream, playback will be interrupted for them, so that they immediately lose the ability to view the stream. Then, if you go offline then stream again, they won’t be able to watch your subsequent streams either until you choose to unban them.”

Rachel Delphin, the chief marketing officer of Twitch, said on Variety’s Strictly Business podcast: “They’re cultivating the kind of community that they want on top of the rules that we have already established and enforce.”

A Twitch spokesperson said: “Twitch exists to help people find community and share their passions, neither of which can happen if people don’t feel safe. Our Blocked Playback feature is a direct result of invaluable feedback from our community, and will give streamers and their channel moderators more control over who can view their channels. If you ban or block someone, they won’t be able to view your livestream.

“Combating hateful conduct and harassment is a core priority and we’ll continue to evolve our safety policies and tooling alongside our community.”