Twitch slapped partnered streamer Frogan with a 30-day ban following a controversial panel discussion at TwitchCon. The panel featured a tier list where Frogan amongst others ranked streamers from “Arab” to “Loves Sabra”, the latter being a commonly used slur towards Israelis. The clip of the panel has caused an uproar all over the web and brought the streaming platform under scrutiny.
Frogan, who averages 300 viewers per stream and yet gets offered a stage at TwitchCon, now faces a significant hit to her income. The timing couldn’t be worse, with upcoming elections that should be prime content for her community.
But Frogan isn’t the only one feeling the heat. Fellow panelists Denims and Sneako also had to leave the platform temporarily, leading some to speculate whether Twitch is trying to show it can play fair when it comes to enforcing its rules.
Despite Twitch’s efforts to reinstate justice on the platform, one question remains unanswered: As it has been a whole month since TwitchCon, why were Denims and Frogan not banned earlier?
Critics are taking aim at Twitch’s Trust & Safety team. Without any doubt, it needs a major overhaul. They’re pointing fingers at recent hires, including Trust & Safety Manager Fadzai Madzingira who was previously fired over antisemitic tweets from the UK’s Ofcom.
Some users suggest Twitch acted under pressure, particularly from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and to save Amazon’s reputation. For Frogan and other banned streamers, the consequences are real and immediate. A 30-day suspension wipes out their income from subscriptions unless viewers manually renew.
Twitch’s antisemitism controversy is far from over but it’s good to see that they are taking some consequences at least.
