In January, we began enforcing our updated Hateful Conduct and Harassment policy so we could better protect every community on Twitch. Today, we’re shifting focus and talking more about how we are tackling misconduct that happens off Twitch.

There are two categories of off-service misconduct (to be clear, this refers to incidents that happen off of Twitch) that we will act on:

1) Off-service harassment related to an incident that took place on Twitch. For example: when reviewing a harassment report originating on Twitch (example: inappropriate comments in chat), we will also take into account verified, related statements made on other social media services if they are reported to us.

2) Off-service behavior, unrelated to any specific incident on Twitch, that poses a substantial risk to the Twitch community. This includes egregious acts of hate and harm, including threats of mass violence, child grooming, leadership or membership in a hate group, and more.

Off-service investigations are significantly more complex, so we've partnered with a third-party investigations law firm, with immense experience in this area, to ensure our off-Twitch investigations are as thorough and swift as possible. This is a huge step forward in making Twitch safer for everyone.

You can report off-service misconduct confidentially to OSIT@twitch.tv. For hateful conduct and harassment on our service, reporting through Twitch as normal is still the best option.

Taking action against misconduct that occurs entirely off our service is a new and atypical approach for both Twitch and the industry at large, but it’s one we believe—and hear from you—is crucial to get right. This is an iterative, ongoing process, and along with your feedback, we will evaluate this policy and identify ways to improve it going forward.

Like many topics related to community health, this is a highly complex and nuanced issue. This email covers the basics, but we highly suggest reading the blog or the Community Guidelines for the full details.

Twitch