Culture news Twitch: nudity in the viewfinder, the platform still updates its rules two weeks after its screw-up
So Twitch had decided to modify its rules related to nudity, then backpedaled for the first time, now the platform once again changes its mind and tightens the screw again.
Twitch: change for nudity
Twitch put its users through an eventful month last December after deciding to change the rules regarding the representation of nudity in streaming. At the beginning, the platform wanted to relax its rules and offer its streamers more freedoms. Provided they respected the rules of prevention, specified the nature of the content and affixed a warning banner, videographers were therefore authorized to broadcast content of an explicit nature. At least, for a brief moment.
Less than 36 hours after sharing these new rulesTwitch decided to once again ban the real or fictional representation of nudity following numerous deviations. The platform then considered having been “too far” and added that digital nudity represented a challenge “unique“. Failing to establish rules that are both precise and permissive, the platform has therefore decided to partially backpedal.
A new throwback
A little over two weeks after these changes, the platform is once again changing the rules. Recently, a new type of content has appeared on the platform as streamers appear live appearing naked, with only black stripes covering their chests and genitals. The simple suggestion of nudity is therefore now prohibited by Twitch:
We do not allow streamers to suggest that they are fully or partially naked, or to cover their breasts or genitals with objects. We do not allow visibility of genitals, even when covered. Posting nude or partially nude content is always prohibited, regardless of the context. – Twitch.
In essence, Twitch now prohibits nudity in all its forms. A drastic change which can be explained by the desire to protect viewers when using the platform, particularly when they search for content in the different sections. Twitch explains that “Even though most streamers have labeled this type of content sexual themes and wear clothing underneath objects or outside the frame of the image, for many users, the thumbnails of this content can disrupt their experience on Twitch“.