As a moderator of a few channels, we've had a massive issue with one particular troll using a VPN to evade bans. This is a massive issue for us because; this user will spam hateful messages, racist slurs, bullying/harassment and even spam the streamer's private personal info. This has been such an issue, that some people I know have had to take a long break from streaming or quit altogether!

I implore you Twitch. Please add an option to enable Phone number verification!
I believe this will strongly deter users from ban evading, as it commonly costs to use phone number changers, and takes a lot longer to set up!

With this, it is unlikely that trolls would find a phone number changing software that is both fast and free.

Alternatively, having an option that forces chatter's accounts to be older than a day, would also help greatly!

Please Twitch! This issue has gone on for so long and it really destroying streams!

This is similar to the idea of banning abusive troll users at a certain IP address, https://twitch.uservoice.com/forums/310201-chat-messaging/suggestions/7956255-ip-ban-from-channel.

In that request, a Twitch dev gave the following reasons for why such a ban would be hard to implement:

1. IPs change. A lot. A broadcaster might lose a significant portion of their audience, and viewers might get confused if there are a lot of banned IPs (such as universities).

2. System load. Looking up a enormous list of IPs to see who is allowed to watch on every single video play is an enormous system load I’m not sure we’re willing to take on.

3. Support costs. “Why can’t I watch X/Y/Z, I don’t know who they are” would come up. Our support isn’t free, and we’d like to be able to focus on issues like passwords, bugs, etc.

I propose something slightly different to get around the problem of IP addresses being an unreliable way to ban toxic, abusive troll users. Rather than ban an IP address from chatting, give individual channels the ability to block *all** "recently" created accounts from chatting in their channel*.

So, for example, give individual channel owners the option of blocking all new accounts created in the last 24 hours from chatting in their channel. After 24 hours, the new accounts are then allowed to chat.

Such a feature would make it harder for persistent trolls to evade chat bans by creating new accounts. It also doesn't depend on a user's IP address, it is address independent.

I mean, some broadcasters, like TotalBiscuit, don't even allow anyone who's not subscribed to chat in their channel, by making chat subscriber only. A temporary chat ban of recently created accounts is like that.

This would make it so that a recently chat-banned troll can't just make a new account and immediately return to trolling a particular channel.

With the addition of customizable chat verification with emails and phone numbers as listed here:

https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2021/09/29/securing-your-chat-with-phone-and-email-verification/

Users who don't pass those verifications are still able to gain channel points and interact with chat by redeeming channel points that don't require a message.

There have been hate raids that utilize these channel point redeems because they show in chat even when sub-only or emote-only chat is on. They include hateful words or doxed information in their usernames, and with this bypass they're able to show that in chat.

Please prevent these unverified users from gaining channel points, or at the very least from redeeming them.

In light of recent events in which two individuals have been harassing and cyberstalking a number of Twitch streamers, myself included, it would be helpful to filter out alternative forms of profanity along with formats of phone numbers.

Specifically, I suggest the following be filtered/prohibited in username creation:

• bltch (with an "L" instead of an "i")
• wh0re (with a "0" instead of an "o")
• ########## (the typical format of including phone numbers in a username)

All three of these techniques have been used by internet trolls when creating multiple accounts to harass streamers and post their personal information. Please consider filtering out these techniques to deter further accounts being made in this manner.

=The Idea=

Have a toggle switch in auto-mod options for streamer to opt-in or out.

If opted in:
Any accounts that were banned in 3 other streamer's chats in the past 72 hrs will have their messages auto-held until approved.

If opted out:
No change from current moderation.

=Uses=
- Chat bots from follow websites would have all their messages held after 3 streamers ban them. This will prevent a significant amount of spam from follow bots and not allow their messages unless the streamer opted out.
- General trolls. Some people like to join chats just to harass streamers. After 3 bans, they wouldn't be able to even speak in chat if a streamer had this toggle enabled. This would prevent possible harassment towards streamers from known trolls.

In your own TOS you allow:
Building construction sets (Lego, Erector sets, Mega Bloks, K'nex, Duplo, etc) or model kits (Warhammer, Gundam, and etc)

You do not, however, allow:
Toy assembly

How do you know that the Gundams etc. Will not be used as toys once they are done? How can you be sure they will not be gifted to a family member and that they will use them as toys.

Toy assembly should be allowed.

You do not allow: Unboxing
But yet many people do unboxing streams (primarly "big streamers")

You do not allow: Playing puzzles
But you allow Writing on the same directory.

You allow: Construction, home building and renovation
You do not allow: Assembling furniture or Decorating your house. Do these 2, fall under IRL then? If not, consider allowing those as they should fall under the same category as home building or renovation.

You allow: Licensed Tattooing in a safe, professional environment
You do not allow: Piercings. Why is that, if done in a safe, professional environment, it should be allowed. They usually do this at the tattoo parlor.

You need to review your TOS regarding Creative. You also need to review your IRL TOS. And review your site as a whole. Because the above written "Rules" do not make sense.

There is nothing currently in TOS that prevents anyone with a criminal record in casting - including people who have been convicted of race, hate or *** crimes. As a private company, Twitch could make the step to update TOS to prevent people who have been convicted of race, hate or *** crimes from casting - and make a DBS part of the onboarding process (a DBS is mandatory for teachers working with children, people in the care industry etc - why not on twitch when children can create an account from the age of 13?) . It wouldn't solve the problem, but it'd be a start - and make it easier for Twitch to remove those who pose a risk now and in the future both online and at IRL events.

Regarding chat verification, it is good that you can set it to email/phone verification if an account is newer than a certain period of time, however I have confirmed that while this prevents an account from chatting, this does not prevent an account from following a channel without verifying.

In the past I have been harassed by people (and seen people harassed) by users who never said a word in chat. Their method of harassment would be to create an account with revealing information about the streamer and simply hit follow. They would be banned, however the account would be deactivated shortly after and a new one created in its place where the process would be repeated, infinitely if a VPN is utilized. Most streamers use some kind of notification system, either in chat or on the screen (or both), some have events lists that keep the information on stream.

The way that the current verification system works does not protect streamers from this very insiduous method of harassment. Please make it so verification methods also extend to follows. I do not want people following me if their account is less than a week old (unless they can verify via their phone)

As a side suggestion, please also make it so users can submit suggestions and feedback anonymously. Most streamers method of dealing with harassers is to ignore them, however they risk being brigaded, or seen to be susceptible to harassment if they raise it here.

In case I send a report not all, just like half of them were checked (I get sometimes no Emails regarding my report). And in this Email you send me about my report would be nice, if you add the reported account name + my report data (why I did reported, and my report text).

Also in case you are done with my report, send back me please a detailed Email from EVERY report! What account were checked, what was my report, what is your decision, and why you decided like this! If you want a detailed information why I report somebody, I can just expect the same thing!

I want to unterstand and have a clear overview what you do with my reports!

"Twitch has zero tolerance for hateful conduct". "We will take action on all instances of hateful conduct and harassment"

Last time I reported 26 accounts. I get 12 Emails regarding this. 6 accounts were deleted. Why did you not checked 12 of my reports? Why only 6 accounts were deleted, and not like 20? Not clear why only random 6? And there were like 5 similar accounts created only to bully me (I reported all many times). Only 3 of them were deleted...what is with the other 2? Are they ok in your opinion? Or what is happening at your side?

Or even you could create a kind of my reports page, where I could check my reports and see, what happened and what not. To urge the decision about the report, because videos or clips were be deleted after time, etc. Would be maybe better than those Emails, as now on...they are like Spam. They are for nothing!

Cheers and thank you!

The TL;DR - allow the option to turn off the highlighting of restricted and monitored users, while still having their messages viewable in the suspicious user activity widget.

The new "Suspicious User Controls" feature, while having a lot of potential, currently works in a very counter-productive way. "Restricted" users are notified that they are being restricted, however their messages still show up on both the broadcaster and moderators vision - with an additional highlight. For automatically flagged users this makes sense, but whats the point of manually restricting an account when you could just ban them instead?
This feature would probably work better being used more as a shadowban mechanic, that way ban evaders don't know to make new accounts.
Additionally, having messages sent by "Restricted" users only be shown in the "Suspicious User Activity" widget (as an optional setting) would allow creators to more easily ignore ban evaders and just get on with their stream.

Similarly, "Monitored" users messages still showing up in chat is great, but having all of their messages highlighted with an extra line of height makes it look very similar to the "Highlight my message" redeem. Having those messages simply appear as normal in stream chat, but show up on a list in the "Suspicious User Activity" widget would allow moderators to quickly filter out content while allowing the broadcaster to better focus on interacting with their fans.