Twitch has introduced a new feature allowing streamers to block banned users from viewing their content, enhancing its anti-harassment mechanisms.
Initially announced in August, the update enables streamers to prevent banned individuals from watching streams, though previous tools only restricted them from chat participation.
Activated through the moderation settings in the Creator Dashboard, the feature has been developed in response to long-standing community feedback, according to Twitch senior product manager Trevor Fisher.
The blocking tools now ensure that if a user is blocked, they are automatically barred from viewing streams, albeit only when logged into their Twitch account due to the absence of IP blocking capabilities.
The feature will be incrementally available to all users, with no specified timeline, and further updates are expected to restrict access to VODs, highlights, and clips for unwanted viewers. Twitch streamers have generally welcomed the enhanced control over their viewer base.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Twitch product VP Alison Huffman said that the company has conducted “extensive” interviews with mods to better understand what safety tools they need.
“For a problem like targeted harassment, that is not solved anywhere on the internet,” Huffman said. “And, like it is in the non-internet world, it is a forever problem — and it’s not just one that has a singular solution.”
“What we’re trying to do here is just build out a really robust set of tools that are highly customizable, and then put them in the hands of the people who know their needs best, which are the creators and their moderators, and just allow them to tailor that suite of tools to meet their particular needs.”
