The recent massive Twitch leak has not only lifted the veil on influencers' salaries. Among the approximately 125 GB of data recovered from 4chan, one list has particularly caught the attention of some Internet users. Explicitly named “do_not_ban_list”, the file in question lists streamers who have allegedly benefited from protection from the platform.
An obsolete list
In reality, the information on this list largely tempers its sensationalist title. First, because according to information from the Washington Post, the document had been outdated for at least five years, with Twitch having moved to another system for managing its streamers in the meantime. Second, because even at the time, it was not really a binary list ensuring impunity total to the people concerned.
Streamers in partnership with the platform, for example, were included on this Do not ban list in order to be subject to special treatment. In the event of a ban, they were thus transferred to a dedicated team, capable of issuing its own sanctions, reports the Washington Post. Other streamers had, for their part, negotiated exceptions with Twitch, at a time when streaming not related to video games was still prohibited by the company. In the end, only a few members of the company, like CEO Emmett Shear, were given a special mention “do not ban under any circumstances.”
Twitch's Opacity
Even if it seems less significant than expected, this list still confirms the existence of opaque and two-tier moderation on Twitch. In its investigation, the Washington Post reports via an employee anonymous the ambient favoritism towards certain partners of the platform, who would still benefit today from “more leniency” than the others.
No need to go back very far to be convinced. Just a few days ago, the famous streamer Amouranth was once again banned from the platform, without explanation from the Amazon subsidiary. With five temporary bans to her credit, the young woman should logically have been subject to a definitive sanction, but was finally able to recover her channel a few hours later.
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