Twitch may now ban you for 'serious offenses' that take place off the platform

Twitch
(Image credit: Twitch)

Harassment, abuse and other serious misconduct may now get you banned from Twitch even if none of it occurs on the streaming platform itself, according to new guidelines laid out this week.

Twitch's off-service policy had previously taken into account misconduct that spilled over from the platform into other forums—a Twitch spat that continues on Twitter or Discord, for example. But Twitch has now introduced plans to tackle "serious offenses" relating to the Twitch community, even if none of the incidents happen on Twitch itself.

The guidelines cites examples of the kinds of severe (and overwhelmingly criminal) misconduct that'll get you booted from the platform. While not exhaustive, the list includes deadly violence, membership or leadership in known hate groups, terrorist activities, sexual assault, and explicit and credible threats against Twitch employees or the wider community. 

"Taking action against misconduct that occurs entirely off our service is a novel approach for both Twitch and the industry at large, but it’s one we believe—and hear from you—is crucial to get right," Twitch wrote. "This is an iterative, ongoing process, and as always, our end goal is to build a safer Twitch for everyone."

Admitting that it's unable to dedicate resources to events that happen entirely outside its jurisdiction, Twitch says that it's partnered with an "experienced investigations law firm" to more thoroughly investigate claims of off-platform misconduct. Reports can also be made through a new, dedicated email address at OSIT@twitch.tv.

While largely a game-streaming platform, Twitch's placement as the most popular streaming service has seen it at the forefront of political moments in the last year. When the US Capitol was stormed in February, thousands watched it live on Twitch, with Twitch subsequently banning a former US President from the site.

If Twitch is to secure itself as a safe place to create content, it can't be oblivious to the happenings in the wider world. Hopefully, these new guidelines help prevent bad actors from getting a foothold on the platform.

TOPICS
Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.

Read more
Twitch Nvidia NVENC encoding
Twitch is changing its suspension policy so that violations have an expiry date because the system 'didn’t acknowledge community members who had learned from their past mistakes'
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PC
Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans
The streamer Emiru gives the peace sign to camera.
Three women livestreaming on Twitch harassed by man who then goes for them while making repeated death threats: 'This happens off-camera to women all the time'
HasanAbi
Twitch streamer Hasan Piker suspended after saying Republicans would 'kill Rick Scott' if they really cared about Medicare fraud
Henry in the stocks
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 rolls out new forum rules to curb toxic behavior, which immediately sparks toxic behavior
A phone showing the premium subscription menu in the Twitter/X mobile app. The screen reads, "Premium subscribers with a verified phone number will get a blue tick once approved." The X logo is visible behind.
The biggest PC gaming subreddit has blacklisted X for being 'hateful' and 'toxic', citing Elon Musk's 'distasteful' behavior
Latest in Platforms
A screenshot from game Mudborne of a little humanoid frog in a marsh
Five new Steam games you probably missed (March 24, 2025)
midnight murder club
Five new Steam games you probably missed (March 17, 2025)
Screenshot of Children of Clay showing a mysterious clay model
Five new Steam games you probably missed (March 10, 2025)
discord
Brace yourself for Discord to get worse: Reports swirl that the company is in talks with bankers about opening itself up to shareholders
The Spy from Team Fortress 2 holds up a folder with an accusatory expression.
Steam users react ecstatically to update that lets them access their heaving game notes via the web, also it fixes Monster Hunter Wilds video recording
HasanAbi
Twitch streamer Hasan Piker suspended after saying Republicans would 'kill Rick Scott' if they really cared about Medicare fraud
Latest in News
A mech awakens.
Mecha Break developer is considering unlocking all mechs following open beta feedback
Lara Croft Unified Art
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success'
A long bendy arm stealing money from people in a subway car
'You're a very long arm. You steal things. It's a comedy game,' explains developer of comedy game where you steal things with a very long arm
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway