Verified status for everyone and /verifiedonly chat mode
I would appreciate a very helpful feature for a lot of streams.
Feature/Requirements:
1) Make verifications and a verified status available for every user
2) Mark verified users with a badge on the profile page
3) Mark verified users with a badge in the chat
4) Implement a /verifiedonly chat mode
5) Link multiple accounts to the same verification
Pros:
With the above mentioned features Twitch would become a safer and nicer place for everyone.
With the option for users to verify their accounts with their ID card, driver's license, or Amazon account and a chat mode for verified users only, a lot of spam, scam, harmful behavior, and ban evasions could be prevented. A chat ban of a verified account results in a ban for all the accounts linked to the same verification. Also a platform ban of a verified account results in a ban for all the accounts linked to the same verification. This procedure would make ban evasion more harder.
Cons:
This would result in a higher administration effort.

-
NopeTooFast commented
you forgot the con where we have to give this information to twitch/amazon if we haven't done so already. no thanks
-
jennykim5 commented
last day i was forced to verify my account with phone number whether i didn't allow this feature to chat box although i have to do this till that i was unable to use chat box i have searched about this at https://danielpessintrades.com/ so i did this and got a verified badge although its a good feature to control spam
-
mitgang commented
They send me the latest male in which they promiss solution in the future. Finally, my ex-account seems to have been fixed. I dont know the timing of the recovery. However, I had to have another account of Twitch for taking part in chat and to link my amazon prime account to the new Twitch account. With this new account, I can do send messages in open chat. Now, I am thinking if I reuse ex-account.
I still want to know why some users had the problem. Thye need to explain it to us. -
Rashkavar commented
An additional significant problem with this setup: Burner phones. It's not terribly hard to set up a VOIP account or disposable cell phone capable of providing this information. This adds extra steps to generating a bot account, but anyone who's putting the effort into generating these bots will just add a phone verification thing similar to how they set up email addresses to handle the email verification step. Doesn't solve anything there.
Jerks still have cell phones, so it doesn't block them either. And for the determined stalker types who make new accounts without being bot programmers...have you looked at what it takes to register a phone number? It's not much effort at all.
It just targets folks who either don't have a cell phone or are cautious with how much identifying information they share and thus are unwilling to just give twitch their phone number. This feels very much like a data harvesting grab disguised as a security feature.
-
BFGGaming commented
Not everyone owns a cellphone. Currently the ONLY option they have for verification is by cellphone. If they added landline to that, then sure.
I currently cannot chat anywhere, after years of being on the platform. Purely because Twitch says I suddenly need verification on channels THAT DO NOT REQUIRE IT. Been like this for weeks. Recently their support staff told me "Too bad, sucks to be you!" In a more pleasant tone, but it's the same message.
That's a pile of BS. I'm just gonna remove my subscriptions, and switch to Patreon. Since the only real benefits I get from subs is the emotes, and I currently can't use them anyways.
I understand wanting to make places more secure, but why force it on people when the system isn't setup to support all people. It only supports people who own cellphones. My bank has a landline callback automated system for this that verbally gives the verification messages. There's no reason that you can't do that as well, other than not wanting to do it. You guys make billions, it's not an unreasonable request. If you're going to make this permanent, then you should make it support more of your userbase. Don't force things on people when it's half-baked.
-
mitgang commented
I send three mails to a customer service of TwitchTV. However they replied to me mails with no solution. They don't understand what happend to me and don't pay any effort to solve the problem. Like below:
"Unfortunately, Twitch cannot bypass the chat phone verification requirement. I apologize for this terrible news."
Then I responded to them "plaese tell me why only a part of users need to verify, but all users. I can accept the new rule, if you apply the rule to all people."
They buried that question.
I am an amazon prime member paid for 1year and they verified my fixed phone and adress. The amazon is the parent company of you Twitch. You should see what I am verified for the fact that I subscribed a streamer as an amazon prime member.Don't be lazy. Fix it.
-
JimAbides commented
Been locked out of chat for over a week. Did nothing wrong, except for being less fortunate than most. I can't afford a phone thus I don't deserve the only form of socializing I can engage in due to several mental health issues. I love twitch but that may change soon :(
Also I find it funny we can "vote" on topics, yet it's one button that says vote. Why isn't there a thumbs up and down feature?
-
skarphace commented
I've also been caught up in the global verification requirement experiment and have been unable to chat in any channel for a while now. Never been banned. Have an Amazon account linked. Even have their app installed on my phone. However, I have no interest in verifying my phone number, especially after the FTC complaint.
Support has done nothing but sent canned responses.
Leaves me no option but to complain here and I guess cancel all of my subs and close my account since it's no longer usable.
-
Sketchsong commented
While I think it is a good idea to have this as an option for streamers. I very much dislike how Twitch recently decided to randomly have users require to additionally verify by phone (even though they previously did by email) for all streams even those that didn’t enable the option. Especially with no warning or announcement. It is very frustrating to be singled out to having phone verification suddenly required for all streams. Again I was talking offline with streamers who confirmed they didn’t have the phone verification enabled and they had no idea why I wasn’t able to chat, meanwhile, I am watching others chatting with not having had that requirement and commiserating with others who had the same problem as me.
I understand the point of the verification and think it is a very valuable tool for creators to have to curate a polite and respectful community and as a defense against bots. However it is also frustrating to see bots still get into those streams because their account wasn’t flagged but mine was. And as someone who has never been banned from any channels and always try to conduct myself politely and respectfully online this is very frustrating.
This is basically mandating a user have a cell phone and to be willing to provide it to Twitch in order to partake in communities they have previously been a part of for years. However what guarantee is there that phone number won’t be compromised or used for Twitch’s financial gain at the expense of the user? Twitch has had data breaches before and there are ne’er-do-wells who seek to capture accounts and personal information from accounts.
I understand my voice is just a singular one and a company as large as twitch I am sure couldn’t care less as their main concern is financial gain and limiting liability but the whole sneaky process leaves a bad taste in my mouth and makes me want to engage in twitch less.
-
SquishyPlushmallow commented
I'm pretty sure this /verifiedonly feature was meant to be per chat only, not per account.
It seems this account status approach was selectively, randomly applied to various users in good standing a few weeks ago.
My account has been flagged with a global chat restriction and I can't chat in streams where I've been subbed to for years. I've never been banned nor had any issues in any of the communities I'm in.
Yet, I have been chat restricted by Twitch? Meanwhile, unverified users and alt accounts can chat in these streams without issue.Infliction of Verified status requirement to non-problematic users while still leaving the platform vulnerable to new, unverified users does not solve anything.
In fact, this is in direct opposition to the spirit of this feature.
-
DatCatslave commented
you would expect a billion dollar company to actually test sh*t before pushing it. For more then 1 week now i cannot chat on any channel, using any device or browser. Supposedly it's "verified accounts only" and i am being forced to verify via Phone number...which is utterly hillarious since my account says "thanks for verifying by mail" for a few years now. Pretty much every streamer i talked to about this is scratching his/her head.
The whole idea sounds great on paper, but that's it. I can make any number of Mailadresses for free to verify whatever amount of accounts i want, i can create any number of (fake) phone numbers for free to verify, if i so want. Verifying my account does nothing except giving Twitch a mailadress or Phone number to harass whenever they feel like.
Add in that verifying your account doesn't make people smarter or more civilized.What Twitch achieved so far with this is: hundreds, thousands or maybe even millions of often paying customers are incapable of using the chat feature because an obviously untested alpha patch was forced on them without any info, warning or option to opt out.
I'm still waiting for any public announcement about this or any form of reply or info (except for the automatic "thanks for opening a ticket") concerning the ticket I opened more then a week ago.Never touch a running system .... if you lack the ability to make working changes, then don't make changes at all.
-
superflausch_ commented
Cons:
* Effectiveness for this is questionable at best
** unique real persons can be dicks anyways
** unique real persons can be dumb and will connect their accounts to bad services
** chain of trust (if you could get drivers licenses a dime per thousands without any questions asked in your jurisdiction, verification via drivers license will be useless and void the system)
* some methods may not be an option to a lot of people
** e.g. ID is not widespread in the US
** e.g. drivers licenses in Germany start at around 500€ and are not available to people below 15years of age.
** procedures/identifiers of tokens may differ by jurisdiction
** sensitive data
* sensitive data (probably what the op meant by "higher administration effort" (GDPR))
* the global verified only (which is in test for some users at the moment) voids the streamers choice on how verified an account needs to be for their chatMy suggestions:
* keep the verified only at streamers choice
* implement optional verified only mode for chatters on per chat basis (plus global switch) -> "auto ignore for non verified" -
ogaboogawakanda commented
Turn off verified accounts only chat. Here’s two accounts with proof where streamers have it set off but twitch forces it on them anyways.
1) https://twitch.tv/viola_vivace
Streamer and mod both confirm that verified accounts only chat is turned off but this message appears regardless and won’t let me chat. “A verified phone number is required to chat in this channel. Please verify your phone number in Security & Privacy in Settings.”https://clips.twitch.tv/TenderRefinedPorcupinePeoplesChamp-RyFXXkfg_0UZlxdh
https://files.catbox.moe/yh8zzo.png
2) https://twitch.tv/moriraine
Streamer confirms it’s turned off live on stream: https://clips.twitch.tv/CallousObliqueRamenHeyGuys-44Sj4TZaUOMp5pFdBut twitch decides to force it anyways screenshot proof:
https://files.catbox.moe/akalkn.png -
TheNewFatRabbit commented
Stop this idiotic experiment immediately. It is an experiment as confirmed by annoymous Twitch support staff "L."
You've ruined hundreds if not thousands of accounts.
My account of 8+ years was already verified by email. I've spent a lot of money on this website $150/year for 8 years on Turbo alone.
I vow to never spend another penny on this website because of this treatment.
Ironically Support claims this experiment is to make the website friendlier and to combat harrassment yet they indiscriminatly targeted us and ruined our accounts. No warning, no tweets about the experiment, no way to opt out.
Real scummy tactics to find out if the population is willing to surrender their private data. I don't think they care if they lose "a small % of users" in this experiment. Selling our phone numbers to marketers will pay off more than we ever put into the website.
Shame on you Twitch. -
z29v commented
Horrible idea and stop implementing this or trying to. Its made the last week horrible on this site and im just gonna drop it entirely, as will many many others and prevent many others from ever creating an account for this. This doesnt stop bots or harassers at all, they will use fake burner programs for SMS, why? Because its part of what they do. That isnt what the rest of us want to do to chat on this site.
Look at comments twitch. NO ONE WANTS THIS.
-
mitgang commented
It occured to me too as kkomrade555 and another user said.
I have not been able to chat in all channels since 27, May.
I am a modest user of this site and I haven't sent any inappropriate word in chat.
However, they did something like ban to me.
I don't have a cell phone. Stop this randam harassment. -
ogaboogawakanda commented
I haven’t been able to chat for the past two days because of this
-
unabletohype commented
thx, that you let me use this as experiment, without any notification to me or to the streamer, without any optout method - hey, what can go wrong? i dont want this, no the experiment, not this idea - i sit here (this **** is now running 24 hours) and can not chat. great job, nice one.
so question, when i dont want you give my telefon number and i can not chat, for what i need a sub? or a twitch account?
-
kkomrade555 commented
Yesterday i was forced to Verify my Account with my Phone Number in Order to use any Chat on Twitch even when the Streamer himself/herself didn`t enable this "Feature" I saw other People on these Chats talking and the Streamers but noone did talk about that Feature being enabled now everywhere and i couldnt ask them either in the Chat before Verifying my Phone Number so i was really wondering why in **** i seem to be the only one having to Verify my Phone Number...if this was an Experiment from Twitch i wish they would have at least informed the People who were unwilling Participants in this Experiment...i was very confused and People didn't believe me either...they were like what the **** are you talking about we didn`t enable this Feature...also didn`t get any response from TwitchSupport on Twitter. Who does stuff like this it was so very unpleasant im a Years Long Customer...dont treat me like this.
-
Shayne_aaron commented
Top. Damit könne Leute die hassrede, frauenfeindliche inhalte, Drohungen schreiben oder betrug/abzocke (scams) betreiben direkt von twitch gebannt werden und auch angezeigt werden.👍