Live streaming is steadily taking over the world, and it’s all possible thanks to Twitch, the top live streaming platform. Now that it has over 140 Million users, bumping into sensitive content and inappropriate behavior is inevitable. Luckily, you can report both the account holder and the live-stream content.
Are you wondering if there are consequences for reporting a streamer or a fellow Twitch user? I’m on your side and I got the answers from Twitch themselves. So, are twitch reports anonymous? Let’s find out.
Are My Twitch Reports Anonymous?
According to Twitch, your reports are completely anonymous. The platform reassures its users that the reported party will not know the identity of the sender.
You won’t get into trouble for submitting reports for content and users violating Twitch rules. Plus, Twitch has made the whole process easy while being effective with the enforcement of punishment.
However, you should not abuse the report system of Twitch. If you do, you are also in violation of the terms and guidelines. And for this, you can get suspended.
What Should Be Reported to Twitch?
As with any cyber platform, Twitch has a set of community guidelines. Apart from that, there are also Twitch’s Terms of Service (TOS).
Now, both these documents help keep Twitch a safe, inclusive, and welcoming community. You are free to report any activity that you know or might think goes against the TOS or Community Guidelines.
Twitch allows you two options when you wish to report inappropriate content. You can either “Report Live Stream” or “Report Something Else.”
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Report Live Stream
Under this category, you can report the live stream itself. Here’s a list of what type of streams should be reported:
- Violence or Gore
- Bullying or Harassment
- Hateful Conduct
- Self-Harm
- Nudity or Sexually Explicit
- Spam, Scams, or Bots
- Terrorism
If the stream you report does not fall into any of those categories, you can explore other categories from the search bar. From that menu, you can report if the live stream participates in the following:
- Account Ban Evasion
- Advocating Harassment
- Aiding Ban Evasion
- Animal Endangerment
- Ban Evasion
- Bots
- Cheating in Game
- Child Endangerment
- Coordinating Harassment
- Cyber Attack
- Encouraging Hateful Behavior
- Encouraging Others to Self-Harm
- IP Violation
- Impersonation
- Malicious Pranks
- Miscategorized Content
- Misinformation
- Mocking Trauma
- Prohibited Gambling Site
- Prohibited Games
- Revealing Personal Information
- Sexual Conduct Involving Minors
- Sexual Violence
- Sharing Private Images
- Slurs or Symbols
- Swatting
- Targeted Abuse
- Threatening Violence
- Unwanted Sexual Advances
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Report Something Else
On the other hand, you can also “Report Something Else.” You can report the actual user using this. If the user’s inappropriate behavior is related to any of the following, they can be reported:
- Clip
- Username
- Whispers
- Chat Messages
- VOD or Highlight
- Off Twitch Behavior
- User (Avatar, Channel Points, Panels, Tags, etc.)
If a twitch account is sending unwanted messages, either on chat messages or Whispers, you can report and block the user. To elaborate, these messages may contain hate speech or a form of harassment.
Do note that Twitch recommends you report the person from the chat message or Whispers. By doing so, Twitch admins will know the specific message you are reporting.
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Additional information
Twitch highly encourages users to include relevant information and other details when sending in reports.
By following the instructions, you’ll see the “Tell Us More” textbox before submitting the report.
Here you can provide more context and essential information about what the reported twitch account did wrong. You can mention and cite instances of wrongdoings.
Apart from that, the following details can help validate your reports.
- Name of the prohibited game (if applicable)
- Name of the channel where the violation appears
- Username of the victim/s involved (if it’s not yourself)
- Date and time of the incident (with respective time zone)
The reports you submit to Twitch won’t automatically ban the reported party. It will be put under review so that the Twitch team can assess the situation and verify if the complaint is true.
Keep in mind that the reports are not only for the safety of the subscribers and viewers but also to let the violator become aware of what rules they did wrong.
So, the next time you notice anything that might violate the set terms and guidelines, do not hesitate to send in a report.
If you’re having second thoughts, you can check the TOS and community guidelines to see if the content or incident merits a report.
At the end of the day, Twitch is working hard to combat negative behavior and to support its community in the best way possible.
Conclusion
By reporting sensitive content, you are helping to keep Twitch safe for all of its users. It’s evident that the platform does not tolerate negative behavior and they have a great user report tool to reduce it.
So, there’s absolutely no need to worry. You’re completely anonymous when submitting reports on Twitch. Enjoy your live streams!