Kick unwanted users/bots from Channel COMPLETELY!
Dear Twitch,
We are now dealing with a new threat of bot accounts. These accounts sit lurking in channel, possibly logging info of either streamers or chatters. They may be using this info for giveaway sniping, or possible future bot attacks, including viewer bots, follower bots, and even spam bots. They sit there and do nothing, they follow us to other streams we host/raid. We ban them, not like they ever say anything, but to prevent them from spreading, we need a way to KICK THEM OFF THE CHANNEL.
Recently had a run in with "Opentwitchbot" whom acknowledges that they are running a bot in other's channels, but never requested permission to do so, instead, they want us to run THEIR command in our channels to make them leave, which isn't possible on our bots, because our bots are not design for that command, nor is it a Twitch command. I don't know what their command is doing, and I certainly don't trust it. When confronting them on the fact that their bot is breaking ToS, they reported me for reporting them. I requested and stated to them several times, their bot is not welcomed in my channel, and they refused to remove themselves until the end of my stream, waiting for me to host someone and latch on to them, thus spreading.
We've all been noticing another set of bots possibly working together, Faegwent ThisIsMyDevAccount and chatdb, they never speak, but they have hundreds if not thousands of followers, they never broadcast, etc etc, what are they doing sitting in our chat? sending info to these followers? that's against ToS. We the broadcasters need an option to kick them from the page, doesn't have to be permanent, they might have an option to hop back on, but I think we should have some sort of captcha security so they can PROVE they are human, and not a bot when rejoining the page!
Banning doesn't do enough if they can still read the chat and gather the info. Reporting seems to do nothing for the past 2 months of reporting them, from MULTIPLE witnesses/reporters. It's about time we have some control over the unwelcome bot accounts.
Help us help you lessen the load!
Sincerely,
A Hard Working Broadcaster, just trying to stop the spread of unwanted guests.
Nekomancer_Evei
shared this idea
Hi, I know that this is a very late response, but we’re hoping to find time to address this issue later this year. There are a few steps we’ll have to take to solve this problem in a way that will work for all streamers, but we understand the severity of the issue.
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Anonymous
commented
yea i have just been bot followed and as i just started out streaming some scum bag decides its ok to bot follow to enter the 75 follower give away this enfuriates me to the point where i can not be botherd to stream anymore before i loose my temper big time. twitch is usless no help and no options to remove these scumbags.
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WjsnW
commented
Still the existence of Electricalskateboard in all the books I watched.
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southernbelle0927
commented
I mod for a number of streamers, and electricalskateboard is in ALL of their channels plus quite a few where I'm just a viewer. We've reported it, but to no avail. I agree with the other commenters that we need an option to permanently kick any bot that's uninvited.
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McVeganPants
commented
I agree wholeheartedly! I have reported Electricalskateboard, but if Twitch won't do anything about getting rid of these accounts, the least Twitch can do is give broadcasters the ability to get them out of our own channels.
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Mockduck
commented
Yeah, this is something they will have to do in the future. Having these bots stick around in the Viewer list is an awful experience.
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ZxShadowWolf
commented
I completely agree. I haven't been getting any viewers recentely... with one exception. Electricalskateboard. Who has been lurking in my chat for ages. Just today I saw Thronezilla and what I think is a bot. Not 100% sure Deadlikeimearnhardt. For someone like me who is having a hard time getting viewers this is very disheartening. So basically my only viewers were all bots.
Personally I don't care about getting a massive amount of views but If I'm going to be streaming at the very least I would like a couple genuine viewers. Not bots who aren't even seeing my stream. Please Twitch, find a way to get rid of these bots.
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[Deleted User]
commented
I really really hope this gets implemented. I didn't see ******** around anymore but now its "Electricalskateboard" and "Thronezilla".
Concerning the chat records, I know that if its on the internet anyone can access it, but a bot is just a different story entirely. I just really don't want to see those bots on my viewerlist, they bother me immensely.
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Dunravin_
commented
I second this... twitch needed the IRC kick command years ago, why was it never implemented?
Was curious about a dormant viewer named faegwent - suspected he was scamming loyalty points. Your post confirms my suspicion they are up to no good, thanks for posting. Alerting my friends network to blanket ban the account from their channels.
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Nekomancer_Evei
commented
Blackwolfster... I want to like your comment so much right now... but I unfortunately do not see a means to do so. T_T
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Blackwolfster
commented
Twitch bans are basically a IRC shun command. There is no kick command and they can rejoin a banned channel, (something you can't do when banned and kicked from a IRC channel). But nothing stops seeing chat when not logged in either on the web page. So in theory anyone can scrape that chat text.
Anything you type in chat should be considered readable by anyone and possibly logged and used later on for analysis. Including VODs that have the chat feature when played back.
I have poked opentwitchbot and opentwitchbot2 accounts and looked at various accounts that were used for following bots. And seen them in action as well as flood bots. It is very annoying to deal with them during a stream.
I have advanced linux and computer experience and with IRC and bots and trolls, for well over 2 decades. I can make my own protection bot and ban them but they can still follow and host and log.
I would love to see a specal account setting for legit bots and some process to tie them to the devaloper, admins, moderators of that bot.
I would also like to see a way that email verification is checked more than once after x amount of following other streamers accounts.
I would also like to see some way to ip ban probomatic proxies and users static ip addresses for those that keep making new accounts and using disposable email accounts. For the pourpose of preventing spamming, flooding, and following attacks.