Streamer Hasan Piker defended Twitch for not banning him over his controversial political content as the platform’s moderation has come under heavy criticism.
Twitch has come under fire in recent weeks after a series of content controversies got the attention of politicians and even the ADL, leading to advertisers reportedly suspending ad spending on the site.
Earlier this fall, Hasan showed a video about the Houthi Movement to fellow Twitch streamer Nmp, which sparked considerable backlash from viewers. The group has been designated as a Terrorist Organization by the US State Department.
The site’s CEO, Dan Clancy, also faced calls by Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres to “stop popularizing those who popularize antisemitism,” singling out Hasan’s content, specifically.
Speaking to Fox News about the ongoing backlash toward Twitch’s moderation, Hasan defended the platform and his own streams, saying he has a “strong, positive relationship” with the site and its staff.
“The assortment of short out-of-context clips from eight-hour deep dives into complex geopolitical issues are deliberately cut to associate me with a perspective that I do not hold,” he said. “In my experience, Twitch’s fantastic Trust and Safety team upholds a rigorous moderation standard to combat hate speech and make it clear that hate has no place on the platform.”
“It’s unfortunate that some are twisting my content to fit a narrative that doesn’t align with my values or the work I’ve done over the years.”
Hasan was given a warning from Twitch for showing the Houthi video on stream and hasn’t shared it since. However, the backlash against the Amazon-owned platform has continued, despite attempts to appeal to the ADL and advertisers.
Dan Clancy has come under fire for content on Twitch.
In response to the antisemitism allegations, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy wrote a blog post reiterating that the streaming service “stands firmly against hate and harassment of any form.”
Twitch also implemented a new content label specifically for political and sensitive content to give viewers and advertisers the option to not see or have their ads shown on streams with those labels.
On November 15, following backlash from the ADL, the site banned the word “Zionist” when used to “attack or demean another individual or group of people on the basis of their background or religious belief is against our rules.”
These changes come as many fear Twitch is undergoing an ‘adpocalypse’, with some creators claiming they had their revenue drop by as much as 90%.