Protect streamers by preventing any access to channel for banned users
This is not to take away from the improvements that have already been made, and are being implemented. The work that is being done is greatly appreciated.
However, further change is needed to better protect streamers for banned users. Merely preventing chatting is not enough to deter harassment, stalking, or intrusive bot behavior.
Most people are aware that measures often can be circumvented, that is not an excuse for the lack of protection that currently exists.
Streamers need a way to completely cut off a user from content. I believe the proposed measures are reasonable, and will also provide protection against abuse as well as preventing intrusive bots from squatting in channels without permission.
The proposed changes are:
1. A banned user is prevented from connecting to a channel's chat completely, which means their name does not appear in the list of viewers.
2. A banned user is prevented from viewing the stream itself, on site or using other means.
3. A banned user is blocked from subscribing and following, and will be automatically unsubscribed and / or unfollowed.
4. A banned user is prevented from viewing any other channel information and content, including the streamer's panels, VODs, clips, followers, and followed accounts.
5. A streamer must be able to toggle an option to treat logged out viewers similarly as a banned user, preventing any access until they log in.
Additionally, to prevent excessive account creation, the following measures should be implemented as well:
6. Accounts need to be verified by e-mail.
7. Limit the amount of accounts per e-mail, to 1 or at a maximum 2.
8. Limit the amount of accounts that can be created from a single IP address per day.
Thank you for your consideration.
We’re happy to announce that we have released an additional update to address these concerns. Streamers can now prevent their banned users from watching their livestreams. You can find and turn on this feature in the Moderation settings section of the Creator Dashboard, through the “Stop banned users from viewing stream” toggle.
Please note, this update 1). does not prevent users from watching livestreams from an incognito window or while logged out and 2). does not prevent users from viewing VODs, clips or highlights. We plan to explore extending the functionality of bans further, including but not limited to preventing VOD and clip playback.
In addition, we’ve made an update so that users that are blocked will now automatically be blocked from watching a streamer’s livestreams.
We will leave this thread open for your other points regarding preventing view of other content types and account creation.
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Grid21 commented
I agree with @rainbowLacesMusic, It is anxiety-inducing that the person banned was just banned from chat. I want an ALL OUT ban where they can't see the whole stream and channel. Instagram already does this! And the only option someone can see is unbanned requests, otherwise, they're out altogether! I don't under how the twitch Staff can't get this idea through their heads and put it into the site. A lot of people agree with this idea.
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RainbowLacesMusic commented
The proposed solution does not address the OPs issue -> banned users should not be able to view your channel at all. Having potentially abusive individuals lurking and watching me (or really, me feeling that it might be possible for them to do so) is enough to make me not want to stream at all. It's anxiety inducing and destructive. A ban needs to be a ban.
I think that in order to facilitate this, as channel owners perhaps we would need an option to only allow registered users to view the channel.
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stickandstone_ commented
Recently I've had somebody who I feel uncomfortable watching my streams continually watching them despite my desperate pleas for him to stop. I've banned him and blocked him but nothing works. Instead of allowing the blocked person to see that your live it shows up with just your normal twitch channel without the ability to see the streamer is live or watch their streams.
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Ayla commented
Stalker protection!! Blocking someone from your channel SHOULD remove their ability to WATCH your stream.
I am currently being stalked on twitch. They will watch my stream, make new accounts to watch me, they've gotten new numbers to contact me, harrass me on all of my social media. The fact that he can still WATCH my stream unlimited is appalling. PLEASE implement a feature where you can stop someone from watching your stream! -
Grid21 commented
I am someone who has been harassed a lot on Twitch when I was streaming, and I've had to ban alt accounts for people who kept harassing me and it just tiring that they are allowed, and twitch think this is ok, to come back and keep harassing me and others on my channel. Also in light of the harassment issues, other people have been dealing with, I really think Twitch needs to add the feature that if you ban someone from your channel they are NOT ALLOWED to see your channel AT ALL! This means, they can't search for you, they can't make an alt account to find you, and they can't watch your stream, nor see the channel. This would really help discourage bad actors out there that are trying to do hate raids, harassment gangs, and other issues on Twitch. I realize it's a big cost to Twitch to enable this, but since it works on Instagram for a ban to keep you from seeing that person's profile, then Twitch should do the same and allow whole channel bans. However, maybe you could at least allow the banned person to use the "appeal ban" feature, but otherwise, banning should mean they can't see the stream anymore. I really hope someone at Twitch will see this idea and consider it as someone to implement on the platform to protect creators and actually, it may force people to behave themselves knowing they could receive a whole channel ban. Also what you could do as an alternate option, is allow the streamer to pick what type of ban the user gets. i.e. chat ban only or whole channel ban. That way at least there is some "mercy" line for bans . Which would also work really well to have an option to pick what type of ban the user will get. Anyway, I truly hope and pray someone on the Twitch Dev team will see this and like my idea for picking a "type" of ban for streamers to protect themselves and the community they operate!
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RivrprncessLori commented
Banning a user totally from the channel will not help him/her to feel the consequences of wrongdoing. Their being able to view the channel but unable to follow, sub or chat might cause them to seriously think of all they have lost and motivate them to turn to doing what is right. That should be the reason any streamer bans a user and all benefit when they have learned their lesson and come back.
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AldyzEntertainmentStation commented
Consider making it so when an account is banned / blocked they can't access your channel URL so that they can't see your live streams & or follow you or send others in there community into your own live streams or other streamers channels you maybe hosting while watching & or a mod for to try directly or in-directly continue the harassment, bullying & or abuse as myself & others have experienced this being exploited as a way of trying to continue to do so with further abuse, bullying & or harassments including then going on to whispering other channel host as a way of trying to cause you to have to leave & be pushed out of these channel & communities or whispering hosts trying lose you mod privilege's due to knowing myself or others are active in these channel. I'm aware you can turn off share my actives but this doesn't stop some of the issues I've outlined & only hurts those being targeted further having to hide such information for what little it seems to do to stop this issue as they can still access most information needed straight from your channel URL page when hosting or live streaming even when banned or blocked.
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CarrieTheOne commented
HOW is this not already a feature? What's the point of banning someone from my channel if they can continue to view the content? What's the point of the mature filter if banning underage users doesn't prevent them from seeing the content I'm streaming?!
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aJive commented
The “Partial Release” was in April, it’s September. What’s the status?
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dahoppe18 commented
A bam should be a ban from viewing the creator and having any kind of access to the community.
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StoicWolfGaming commented
A ban is a ban, enough said. Viewing privileges revoked, period.
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JemuzuTTV commented
Agreed. This would also help prevent Stream Sniping.
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scarfee commented
if twitch is worried about losing revenue as a counter to this idea, just make banned people see ads every 3 minutes if they still insist on watching the channel after being banned 🤷♂️
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GMHina commented
When accounts are banned, they should not be able to see the stream at all. This is dangerous because stalkers can still view streamers. Many streamers agree that when an account is banned, they don't want them to have ANY ability to interact with their stream, even if it's just viewing it. Banned should mean banned from all.
Also giving mod tools to confirm a raid when it's someone we don't know so we can see what's going on or more protection when hate raids happen?
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Stitchings commented
If you are banned from a channel, that's what it should mean. It shouldn't mean that you can see the stream or the people watching it. It should mean that streamer doesn't exist to you at all. There shouldn't be any of this appealing your ban. You were banned from the channel for a good and valid reason. People have circumvented their bans from channels and have gone onto further harass streamers or their viewers through whispers or other means. They have also gone onto have their friends join in on these harassments. If someone is banned, then make it STAY that way unless the streamer and their mod team decides to reverse the ban on their own. None of this trying to appeal your ban. The moderators and the streamer banned the viewer/user and they know why they did. For the safety and sanity of users on twitch, remove the appeal feature and make it so if someone is banned from a channel, THE CHANNEL DOES NOT EXIST TO THEM AT ALL.
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GamingHuskies commented
Banned users who harass me should not be able to view my content. I do not want these people watching my streams.
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PlokGamingTwitch commented
Also prevent them from being able to follow. A lot of the bots lately are still following (with all following event triggers) even though they're already banned in channels.
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merbearlorelei commented
YES. ABSOLUTELY.
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Shadowed_lady commented
I am a mod of a mature channel and have been on Twitch for a few years now.
It is clearly stated in the rules that it is a mature audience and also clearly marked when you come into the channel. I have had to kick out people as young as 11.
I just recently found out that banning them still allows them to watch the stream. Last night I kicked out a 14yr old for breaking the rules but it's not good if they can still watch the streams.
I believe there is hardly a point in banning them if they can still hear and read the chat. I think that they should be unable to watch/chat/interact/ everything.
It would be safer all around.
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urbanbohemian commented
When a user is banned from a channel, in addition to being unable to engage with chat, they are shown nothing but Twitch ads in that channel.
This would prevent abuse via sharing or clipping moments to use as harassment on other platforms, dissuade them from staying in the channel at all, and deliver additional revenue to the streamer and Twitch.
Similar to blocking users on other platforms, they would see nothing at all. Leveraging "ads are a necessary evil" for good means that at least a streamer might be compensated via ad revenue for having to manage and deal with abuse.