Twitch has had a turbulent few months due to a rising number of accusations that have been made against its staff as well as its popular streamers. Many have criticized Twitch for toxic behavior on the platform and it seems that there were serious issues behind the scenes. Following a series of allegations, Twitch began an independent investigation of its practices and it has led to a senior member of the company being let go because of their conduct.
The first wave of allegations of sexual misconduct reports against Twitch led to streamers not going online, changes to how the platform operates, and an investigation. Hassan Bokhari, who was the accounts director of strategic partnerships at Twitch, was at the center of controversy as there were claims of sexual misconduct and assault. The senior employee has now been removed from the Twitch service and has had their contract terminated.
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The accusations came from a Twitch streamer, Vio, who shared their experiences of sexual assault and abuse over many years. Bokhari had reportedly not taken “no” as an answer and also abused his power to try and coerce a relationship with the promise of deals to help the streamer. These claims led to an investigation that has resulted in the removal of Bokhari. Twitch has commented on the investigation, stating “While it is our policy to keep individual employment information confidential, the investigation has concluded and we have taken action in accordance with the investigators’ findings.” It seems that this investigation found evidence of Bokhari’s wrongdoing and Twitch is acting upon its guidance, yet the Twitch representative did not comment on the streamer or their employment directly. Many will want Twitch to take a more proactive approach when dealing with misconduct in the future, so these issues do not persist.
Feedback from the community has supported this decision and it seems that many had hoped that the employee would be removed. However, Twitch only began acting upon abusive issues on its platform after a huge outcry from its users, leading to questions about how the streaming platform should regulate itself in the future. The banning system in Twitch has been inconsistent and has even removed videos about charitable causes while those who have been accused of sexual conduct have thrived on the platform. With this in mind, many will hope that the platform changes its approach and regulation.
The bans from Twitch are a positive step and many will be happy that the company is not partnering with harmful people. Going forward many will hope that these kinds of issues do not reach a public outcry and rather the service regulates its staff and users properly.
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Source: Kotaku