Boobie streamers might be in for a tough time of it. Might.
Twitch recently updated their terms of service. And since those guidelines are a bit of a departure, they put out an FAQ detailing these changes.
First and foremost, there is a dress code that’s being instituted. Well, of sorts; it’s really more of a means to exert more control over inappropriate content. They’ve technically been there all along; they’re just enforcing them a bit more seriously. You won’t get in trouble for older streams that retroactively violate the rules, but they will likely be taken down. And that’s true for all of the new guideline, not just the dress code. Oh, and no artistic nudes, either.
Given the variety of content and activities creators engage in, an explicit dress code would be unreasonably restrictive. Streaming is a public activity that reaches a global audience of many ages and cultures, and as such we prohibit nudity and sexual conduct. When evaluating reports for sexual conduct, attire is just one factor we will use in making a determination on whether conduct is acceptable.
We recommend creators wear attire that would be publicly appropriate for the context, location, and activity they are broadcasting. For example, workout clothes would be appropriate for a fitness stream and a swimsuit would be appropriate for a stream from a public beach.
Streamers to Role Models?
The other big change is a bit of a twofer. They want their streamers to be role models, of sorts. To that end, they’re actually enforcing off-site conduct guidelines, to a degree.
Creators are role models and leaders of the communities they create or foster around them. Creators should consider the consequences of their statements and actions of their audiences; we ask that you make a good faith effort to quell any efforts from those in your community to harass others.
Twitch should not be used to incite, encourage, promote, facilitate, or organize hateful conduct or harassment, whether on or off Twitch. We will suspend communities, organizations, and individuals that do so.
Why is Twitch moderating off-Twitch conduct?
We recognize that harassment against Twitch community members can sometimes originate from off-Twitch conduct. Our desire to moderate verifiable off-Twitch harassment stems from our belief that ignoring conduct when we are able to verify and attribute it to a Twitch account compromises one of our most important goals: every Twitch user can bring their whole authentic selves to the Twitch community without fear of harassment.
How is Twitch moderating off-Twitch conduct?
Reporters of harassment must submit links to evidence with their report.
The moderation team will only take action if:
- The links provided are verifiable
- The content can be directly tied to the reported Twitch user
- The target of harassment is another Twitch user, group of Twitch users, or Twitch employees
- The moderation team determines the conduct violates our policies
Twitch will not actively monitor other websites or services for violations of our Community Guidelines, nor will we be acting on off-Twitch content created prior to March 5, 2018.
Non-retroactive
All this said, you’re not going to be punished retroactively, as stated above.
What is the policy on retroactive enforcement of content on Twitch created prior to March 5, 2018? Am I expected to delete everything?
Starting March 5th, 2018, all content on the site is subject to the new guidelines. We expect creators to make a good faith effort to remove any hateful, harassing, and sexually suggestive content from their channel.
However, if reported, content that violates the new guidelines and that was created before the new guidelines come into effect will be removed without suspension, but we reserve the right to exercise discretion on severe violations.
While the overall uncertainty is unsettling, at least you’re getting something of a grace period out of it. Still, it’s not hard to imagine abuse of such a system. But we’ll just have to find out how that goes the hard way.
As an aside, so long, boobie streamers.
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