Following the community driven #ADayOffTwitch protest that took place last week, Vtuber Buffpup has appeared on New York’s Fox 5 News to talk about the issue of hate raids.
Hate raids are when one account spams the chat with abuse, usually containing “very hateful language towards marginalised groups,” according to Buffpup, before a second account then reports the streamer for not moderating their chat correctly, resulting in a ban.
The problem has “never been this bad” said Buffpup during the news segment, before adding “it’s silly that you don’t have to verify your email when you make an account,” something that would make it slightly harder for people to launch these hate raids.
As it stands, there’s “nothing” streamers can do to stop a hate raid. “Twitch is very important to me. I want to protect my friends,” Buffpup said. “We need better protection.” The whole segment can be watched below.
Excellent work by @Buffpup_ on Fox 5 New York regarding #ADayOffTwitch pic.twitter.com/to4oQim02S
— FalseEyeD
VTuber (@FalseEyeD) September 2, 2021
Twitch released a statement to Fox News that said “no one should have to experience malicious and hateful attacks based on who they are or what they stand for, and we are working hard on improved channel-led ban evasion detection and additional account improvements to help make Twitch a safer place for creators,” but as it stands, no changes have been made.
However, last week Streamlabs launched a new Safe Mode designed to tackle hate raids.
Streamlabs is one of the most common tools for livestreaming, often used to complement Twitch’s features with additional settings and support. As such, the new mode will be available to many in the streaming community, although many pointed out that the update did not come from Twitch itself.
According to the official announcement page, Streamlabs “believes in fostering a supportive environment to ensure a positive experience for our streamers and their viewers. You and your community should feel safe to express yourselves without fear of being harassed.”
In other news, Marvel’s Avengers has released a free bundle to celebrate the one-year anniversary since the games release, as well as detailing the roadmap for what comes next.
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