I would like to propose that Twitch implements much stricter rules surrounding username creation and the terms which are allowed to be used in usernames. Users are still allowed to create usernames which are hateful, sexually explicit and degrading, despite this behaviour being against the Twitch Community Guidelines.

I appreciate that moderators and streamers are able to ban and report these accounts, but stopping this behaviour should NOT be the sole responsibility of content creators and their team. Furthermore, this method merely addresses the problem AFTER it has already happened. We need Twitch to implement a system which can identify harmful usernames and prevent them from being created in the first place.

I am proposing this out of both a need to protect streamers and their communities. I was targeted by numerous accounts, with usernames including the statements 'all lives matter' and 'no consent', as well as phrases relating to graphic ****** acts and anatomy. Although my mods were able to ban and report these individuals, the usernames were still visible to my community and myself, and affected me deeply. Twitch needs to do more to protect content creators, and the simplest way to do this is by addressing the problem BEFORE it happens - by preventing the creation of these harmful usernames.

I would like to remind people of the Twitch Community Guidelines, specifically relating to Hateful Conduct and Harassment, and a couple of these guidelines which were clearly violated from my own experience:

Content that is prohibited under our Hateful Conduct policy—regardless of whether it is intended to be hateful—includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Content that encourages or supports the political or economic dominance of any race, ethnicity, or religious group, including support for white supremacist/nationalist ideologies

The following categories of behaviors are considered to be sexually harassing, and are prohibited on Twitch:
- Making unsolicited objectifying statements relating to the ****** body parts or practices of another person
- Making unsolicited statements in reference to performing graphic ****** acts on another person
(And perhaps most relevant:)
- Creating accounts dedicated to harassment or hate, such as through abusive usernames

I understand that this may be very difficult to implement, however it would greatly improve the experience for both content creators and their communities, and foster a much safer environment. I believe that actively ensuring hateful behaviour has no place on Twitch is worth the challenges that might arise.

Given the widespread use of hostile bots on Twitch right now by bad actors, particularly those targeting LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities, it would be great if we could have a RegEx pattern block/ban/follow restriction option. A number of the accounts being spun up for the purpose of harassing and stealing the identities of streamers have consistent name patterns, and being able to issue a regex block/ban on those patterns would be useful.

This sort of feature would obviously be something that streamers would have to use at their own risk. Overly inclusive block/ban patterns could potentially limit legitimate viewers. But for those of us who are more tech savvy, this could be a massive time-saver.

On the same broad thrust, the ability to add users to a whitelist so as not to unfairly impact existing supporters of a channel, and either a temporal or behavioural filter which automatically adds users to a channel's whitelist would be useful. This could be a more effective approach than the current "followers only" or "subs only" chat options. More fine-grained control on the white-listing process would be appreciated.

For example:
Whitelist on account age
Whitelist on x minutes/hours/days follow age
Whitelist on x minutes/hours/days without mod action in <max> other channels
Whitelist on x minutes/hours/days without automod action in current channel
Whitelist on x minutes/hours/days without automod action in other channels

This could perhaps be branded as an "advanced mod tools" option which can be unlocked by the streamer at the account level so those comfortable with the existing system could use that, but those needing more nuanced tools could have such systems made available on request.

I'd really love to have a content warning system similar to the tag system. It would auto-populate based on the current game or let streamers add warnings for Just Chatting or Talkshow streams. I'd prefer the system to be more opt-in than a popup every time you enter a stream. It would have a button near the category and tags part of the UI that reveals relevant warnings. It would be super nice if it could be user configurable to display a pop up only if a user navigates to a stream that contains a warning they've chosen to be alerted about.

Block users banned from a channel from joining a raid from the channel the users are banned from to the raided channel, and also not notifying the banned users the name of the raid target channel (specifically the notification appearing on the top of the chat when the raid is about to happen).

As with a raid, the raiding streamer will be in the chat of the raided channel, and the raiding and raided channels usually have related communities, malicious users can use this opportunity to continue harassing the streamer or spreading damage to related communities, despite being banned from the previous channel. Therefore, allowing banned users joining raids exposes both the raiding and raided streamer to the risk of being harassed by previously known and banned malicious users.

I have recently witnessed an account maliciously disrupting the chat with inappropriate ASCII spam, and after the account was banned from the channel, the stream ends with a raid, and the same account attacked the raided channel with the exact same method, so this is a happening issue and actions should be taken against it.

Many ideas have been discussed here about adding 2FA as a next level security for accounts to verify they're legit and not just a spam bot account and chat. (See: https://twitch.uservoice.com/forums/933812-safety/suggestions/41306257-adding-2fa-to-chat-as-optional-filter)

What I propose here that is different those ideas is adding a CAPTCHA solver puzzle for people who want to follow a channel. And I'm not talking about those silly Text Based CAPTCHA solver puzzles that are distorted with upper and lower case characters and other things, but an image based CAPTCHA solver puzzle.

1. New followers will have to solve a CAPTCHA, a One-time Only process before the follow goes through.

2. Non-Followers sending chat messages to channels will have to solve a CAPTCHA in order to post messages in chat, and is NOT One-time Only, and will have to redo a CAPTCHA every 45 Minutes.

3. Regulars, VIPs, and Subscribers are immune to needing to solve a CAPTCHA portal to post messages in chat, providing they have verified their email and phone number on their account, and that their accounts are older than 90 days, and already completed a One-time Only CAPTCHA portal.

With these 3 things, this will mitigate the most common types of abuse, bot spams, bot follows, hate raids, etc... Requiring the user to solve a CAPTCHA portal would need to be an essential feature globally enforced to prevents these things happening on the platform in light with what's going on with all the hate raids that are going on, it would also enhance safety of its users on the platform from abuse, harassment, etc...

Streamers with a stream deck have the ability to create a panic button that will do a slew of things. Turning on sub mode, slowing chat, clearing chat, setting a stream marker, capturing a clip for documentation.

What if an sos command was created to do that for streamers that don't have the ability to have a stream deck?

Currently the answer is to end stream until the hate raid ends. But what isn't being realized is that the streamer ending the stream is giving the hate raiders exactly what they want. With a command that controls tools twitch has already given us (stream marker, slow chat) it puts us back in control. Even a moderator can throw that command in chat and push forward more momentum, showing these hate raids that we are in control of our own stream.

Bot spam, bulk follows, etc. have always been a problem but it seems that this is only growing more prevalent as time goes on. Additionally, the phenomenon of troll raids has been something I've become more aware of over time and suspect is growing as well.

Having a feature where streamers and moderators can bulk select users based on criteria (e.g. follow age, view time, joining from a specific raid, message pattern posted in chat, user name, etc.) and then use a single action to report and ban / timeout / block users would be immensely helpful in combating these trolls.

As someone who mods (and has dealt with these issues before) I believe that this is a feature that would obviously mesh well in the moderator view (and presumably the streamer dashboard, but I'm not personally familiar with that.)

For the sake of completeness, I would also suggest that there be both unbans for specific users (in case someone is caught in the mass ban by mistake) and a single action unban for the entire group (in case a mod decides to do something trollish themselves or in case of misunderstandings - like a raid message that gets mis-interpreted.)

Every game that is released is released with an ESRB rating determining its appropriateness for various audiences. Twitch already collects these ratings when they add new games to the platform.

Now streamers have the option to turn a "Mature" warning for their content, but rarely is a streamers content always Mature, or always all-ages-friendly.

Given that Twitch has this information, it would be a great help to many if depending on which category you are streaming to, it automatically enables or disables the Mature filter based on the ESRB rating of the game.

For non-gaming categories, some could easily be defined as Mature or Friendly (eg, Hot tubs - Mature, Art - Friendly), and for ones where it has a broad manner of interpretation, it defaults to the streamers set state.

There needs to be a change with in twitch as there has been multiple profiles with problematic pictures that are grounds for banned. There needs to be a implementing of a non-approved stage for profile pictures followed by a approved stage so that way we don't have problematic grounds when someone's profile picture shows up in someone's stream during a game or such ex being marbles. Because this brings up problems for the streamer were we have to take even more steps to avoid being flagged or banned for something we ourselves didn't display. This includes but not limited to NSFW material and pictures with racial slurs

As a mod for an LGBTQ+ and trans streamer, we have been hit with a ton of followbots coming in and spamming chat with hateful intent. I had an idea for a command that would ban all accounts that have followed in a recent timeframe.

For example, (/banall 10) would ban all accounts that have followed in the last 10 minutes. This would greatly reduce the amount of time that moderators have to spend on banning all accounts separately. I spent an hour last night doing so, and while I had backup to monitor chat, I know that many smaller streamers might not have that luxury.

In addition, a way to select multiple usernames to ban/report would greatly improve the interface, as we could then at least try to keep up with the fake accounts, and keep our communities safe.

This is directly copied from the proposal update from Jambo, which states as follows:

"Twitch Safety Support - Update Proposal by Jambo

1. UPDATED REPORTING TOOL
   Twitch’s reporting tool is outdated, and needs to be revamped. The biggest suggestion for this is to have a lesser detailed reporting still available on profiles but provide a link to something similar to submitting a ticket, but will allow the user to submit images as well as links (currently images cannot be uploaded with a report) be marked ‘high priority.’

2. HAVE A DIRECT CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS FOR PARTNERS
   Along with an updated reporting tool, make it easier for Partners to contact the team for urgent matters. A ticket queue will not always work when situations require more attention, and allow actual responses to come through, not an automatic response to a ticket. Designate members of your team to reach out to, as well as reassure, those with high urgency situations.

3. CONDUCT ON OTHER PLATFORMS MUST HAVE MORE OF AN IMPACT ON TWITCH
   If a Twitch user harasses others on another platform, there is clearly a direct correlation and this needs to be addressed. Twitch should absolutely have open communication with other platforms, such as Twitter and Discord, and be able to abolish communities and users who bully, harass and target attacks on others. Their activity represents the site regardless and that responsibility absolutely falls on Twitch to make note when it’s brought to their attention. There may not be anything Twitch is able to do with regard to the other platforms, but can absolutely take matters into their own hands for theirs.

4. BUILD AN EMERGENCY/URGENT RESPONSE TEAM
   Twitch may be a streaming and gaming website but internet threats are all too real. Harassment and bullying are not medium level urgency. The mental health of the streaming community needs to be a higher priority. While there are definitely other large issues, many attacks online impact the very real lives of content creators every day. For a platform that cares heavily for inclusivity, safety and equality, there are not a lot of tools in place to ensure its safety.

5. STOP ALLOWING THE CREATION OF RACIST AND HATEFUL USERNAMES
   We are able to ban these words in our chats, it should be just as easy to create a filter that prevents names of this nature. Plain and simple. Allowing these words to be used, and their creation allowed, is setting us back. While there will always be an exception, the exception and rare circumstance is better than allowing these to be made with no precaution taken.

6. WORK WITH DISCORD TO BUILD A FILTER/INTEGRATION
   DISALLOWING BANNED ACCOUNTS JOIN A STREAMER’S DISCORD SERVER
   If a streamer or viewer has their Twitch linked to their account, any user who joins from a link originated by said streamer for their chat only (a creator link, if you will) that’s built into chat through a linked bot that does not allow users who have been banned in chat to join a Discord server.

7. DO NOT ALLOW BANNED USERS TO VIEW CONTENT
   While having banned users unable to see chat is a great step in the right direction, it’s not enough. As streamers, your personality is on video, not in chat. It’s great to keep your community safe, and unseen, but the streamer is more than likely the target in attacks like these. While, yes, incognito tabs exist and there is nothing that can be done with that (outside of IP bans, which should also be considered), it needs to be noted that keeping your creators safe should be a top priority.

8. NAME CARDS SHOW IF USER IS BANNED IN OTHER CHANNELS YOU MOD FOR
   When you click on a users name, mods in that channel should be able to see if this user has been banned in other channels that they mod for, and be made aware of potential incoming issues.

9. ADD A MODERATOR CHAT BUILT WITHIN MOD ‘VIEW’
   Build a chat box/space for moderators to discuss without leaving stream to talk in a separate app’s chat (i.e. Discord) and lose sight of chat in the process."

The “block” function is the greatest exercise of power in chatting on twitch. This feature has the function of eliminating spam bots, political propaganda, and other obviously harmful entities that make comments knowing that they will be blocked.
However, I think there is another side to this feature. This is the “monster-making machine” aspect. First of all, except for comments that are intentionally blocked as mentioned above, the first thing a blocked person does is to create a sub-account. I’ll skip the discussion of whether this in itself is a good thing or a bad thing, as that is not the purpose of the message I want to convey. First of all, we can see here that the “block” function does not work at all. The detailed mechanism will be explained later, but at this point, the user feels as if he or she has been attacked in some way. At this point, users can either say, “I did something wrong, so this block is reasonable to some extent,” and start chatting normally again, or they can say, "This block is unfair, and I’ll stick to this distributor and attack him. In the case of the former, the person will chat again without worrying about the block and with some degree of remorse. In the case of the latter, the person will continue to sticky and attack the distributor until he or she is satisfied.
But there’s more to it than that. One day, the former person’s account will suddenly stop, and a notice will be sent to his email address, stating that his account has been suspended for "repeatedly circumventing chat bans. The user who felt attacked for free will now get a follow-up from the management. Twitch uses every conceivable kind of bot to prevent people from “repeatedly evading chat bans”. They can even identify a sub-account just by changing the email address link. The reason for this, I assume, is to prevent the creation of sub-accounts for “people who are obviously harmful and know they will be blocked,” as mentioned above, but the effect extends to people who have been blocked for mere comments.
In this way, Twitch has built a system to chase down people who have been blocked over and over again. By chasing after people who have been chatting with some degree of remorse, they have succeeded in creating the “this block is unfair, and I’m going to stick to this distributor and attack them” monster mentioned above.
Now, let me explain why people feel attacked by this block function. First of all, people other than the “obviously harmful and knowingly blocked” people mentioned above are not intentionally misbehaving, for example, if they are tempted to put up ASCII art in the chat room and play a prank, or if they are hungry or have a fight with their girlfriend and are in a bad mood. For example, if you’re in a bad mood because you’re hungry or you’ve had a fight with your girlfriend, you might react to an attack that you would normally overlook and end up fighting in chat. Of course, this is not the only case where people violate the community guidelines, but there are many other cases where people violate the community guidelines not intentionally, but because they have to. This may seem intentional from an objective point of view, but the people themselves act in such a way because they have to. And even though the probability of this happening is low in twitch, which is watched by tens of millions of people, there is a certain number of people who act this way because the denominator is large. There is no malicious intent on their part. However, the twitch system does not consider whether there was malice or not. If you are blocked, you can’t even see the comments. In other words, it means that you are banned from the community. Users enjoy not only the delivery of the distributor, but also the sense of community unity and chatting with the community. It means a permanent and almost irreversible ban from all of that. (There is a recently added feature that allows you to request to be removed, but it’s so limited that very few people actually do it.) No matter how sorry the user is, no matter how much he regrets his actions, the result will be the same. No matter how sorry the user is, no matter how much he regrets his actions, the result will be the same: he will be locked in the same blocking cage as the spambots and political propaganda accounts, with little to no chance of getting out. Blocking deprives you of the greatest enjoyment of streaming with the community. When someone who has been watching for months or years is blocked, the sense of loss is immeasurable. You have to admit that the loss is your fault. I think it’s not hard to imagine that there are few people who would continue to watch a feed where they can’t comment or chat. There is such a heavy meaning to not even showing comments. Now that you’ve seen this, I’m sure you understand why you might feel attacked.
Also, psychologically speaking, if you ask people to choose option A and option B, 80% of them will choose A, while the remaining 20% will choose B. This has been proven in various experiments. This has been proven in various experiments. In other words, even if you tell people to follow the community guidelines, 20% of them will not do so without any ill will. Banning them permanently from the community without any extenuating circumstances is too extreme in some respects. In addition, there are almost no people who read the community guidelines thoroughly before commenting, and the rule of twitch is "follow common sense. However, common sense varies greatly by region and backbone. In other words, common sense differs greatly from person to person. Even in the case of failures due to these cultural differences, Twitch’s answer is
The response to even a failure due to such cultural differences is permanent banishment from the community with no room for extenuating circumstances, which also feels extreme. These make users who are not “obviously harmful and commenting knowing they will be blocked” feel attacked.
Here I would like to suggest some alternatives to blocking. First of all, while keeping the name “block” intact, the function could be changed to a one-year ban at the very worst, and a system that determines whether the new “blocked” person’s expression is an excessively malicious spambot or something else, and if so, block the person as before. Also, instead of blocking people out of the blue, the new system allows users to create sub-accounts for a week at first, then a month, then a year. If the system encourages users to reflect on their actions and structure their accounts, rather than forcing them to create sub-accounts, it will make people who violate the rules without malicious intent reaffirm the rules and reflect on their actions. In addition, the blocking feature of not being able to see comments is excessive in some respects, because in the state of excitement after being blocked, the reaction of the chat at the moment of being blocked may cause rage, so not letting people see comments for an hour after being blocked, or even permanently, is It is excessive. It would also be effective to make the unblock request in the form of a chat so that the user can show remorse and reconfirm the rules, rather than just once. It would also make a big difference if there was a cushion, such as blocking those who attack the distributor or moderator.
The above is my opinion, and I’m waiting for feedback and reactions from those who read this.

The current Twitch account creation system offers little to no assurance of protection for creators. Enforcement actions, when taken, are reactive, rather than proactive, and require submitting reports, writing descriptions, and disrupting the stream, which is exactly what these people want. Even enabling email verification for users to chat does not prevent someone from creating multiple successive, free "burner" email accounts for the express purpose of harassing one or more users. Someone can simply create a free email account online, create a free Twitch account, use the new email to verify the account, and circumvent that particular feature. To prevent this, there are a number of possible solutions.

1) Implement a one-time account creation fee. It doesn't have to be a huge fee, and could of course come with maybe a few bits or a free sub or something. Not much, but enough that it would deter all but the most determined from creating say, 12 accounts in a 30 minute period. How many people would be willing to spend money just to harass someone for a few minutes before being blocked and banned? Probably a lot less than are happy to do it for free. Obviously, an account creation fee wouldn't apply to Amazon Prime users, but I feel there should be some sort of consequence for any Prime user whose account is connected to ToS violations (i.e., forfeiture of Prime benefits, Prime fee, and being barred from subscribing in the future).

2) Require credit card verification. Look, I promise, I don't work for the man, but studies have shown anonymity to be a major factor in online harassment. A credit card (or debit card with a credit card carrier like most have), would be tied directly to the individual, providing traceability, and therefore accountability.

3) As many other posts have suggested, implement IP or MAC tracking. Look, you aren't fooling anyone, when a secure connection is established, the IP address is requested and sent as part of the handshake. The information is already there, and consequently (because servers), logged. Use it.

The reality here is that harassment will be a problem as long as there are avenues for individuals to exploit. Banning or suspending a user after the fact does nothing to discourage the single-minded, therefore precautionary measures must be explored and implemented to protect creators who choose Twitch to safely interact with their communities. It's worth noting that cyber harassment is actually a crime in some jurisdictions, so maybe putting a little more effort into preventing it - instead of worrying so much about what to do after it happens - might be a good investment for everyone.

There is a clear and present epidemic of bot accounts on Twitch (eg: The innumerable 'hoss_###' accounts) harassing streamers and viewers on Twitch, especially smaller content creators.

These bots are using a malicious third-party extension which can capture and log users' IP addresses whenever said user clicks on their name in chat, to view information about them as a user or views their channel.

Since the report feature currently requires clicking on a user's name, this exploit undermines users' ability to moderate and combat these bot accounts. There are ways of banning these users directly from chat, such as Nightbot, but this does not solve the problem as the users themselves still exist and cannot be reported without potentially falling victim to their exploit.

Implementing a separate web form to report users by their username, here in the Twitch Support pages, would assist greatly in ensuring these malicious actors are identified and properly taken care of.