UPDATE: July 24 1:45PM PST
Hasan has been unbanned on Twitch as of approximately 1:20PST on July 24.
Popular Twitch streamer Hasan ‘HasanAbi’ Piker has issued a response after he received a ban from the streaming platform, claiming he will appeal their decision.
Piker is well known as being one of the hosts on The Young Turks YouTube channel, a politics and news show which boasts over 4 million subscribers.
However, he also runs a very successful Twitch channel, with over 100,000 followers and 2.5 million channel views. On July 23, after a normal stream, Hasan’s channel became impossible to find, leaving many of his fans wondering if he had been suspended from the platform.
Hasan himself tweeted in response, stating that he “got banned again on Twitch. This time it’s for interacting with my streaming equipment while driving. Apparently i’m not allowed to take my phone out of its dashboard holster while the car is fully stopped to hide the area I live in.”
Most streamers will attempt to obscure their location, especially when streaming IRL, for their own safety and to avoid any unwelcome visitors.
i got banned again on twitch. this time it’s for interacting with my streaming equipment while driving. apparently i’m not allowed to take my phone out of its dashboard holster while the car is fully stopped to hide the area i live in.
— hasanabi (@hasanthehun) July 23, 2019
He went on to give more context in a second tweet, in which explains that his ban is a week long, but that he will be appealing.
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“The additional context I got was that I was interacting with chat while taking the phone off the holster, as it was on my lap,” he explained. “I’m usually insanely careful about this and I think I literally addressed it, while I was taking the phone off the holster.”
It seems that Twitch are becoming increasingly wary of streamers driving dangerously as result of livestreaming, hence the austerity of their response in this situation.
it’s a 7 day ban. i will appeal. the additional context i got was that i was interacting w chat while taking the phone off the holster, as it was on my lap. i’m usually insanely careful about this and i think i literally addressed it, while i was taking the phone off the holster.
— hasanabi (@hasanthehun) July 23, 2019
Recently, multiple streamers were banned by Twitch, after they were judged to have been driving unsafely as a result of live streaming.
Travel and outdoor streamer ‘pajalockk’ was likewise hit with the ban hammer after nearly running over pedestrians on two separate occasions during a live streamed drive on June 10 – all within a span of thirty seconds.
While it’s not clear what the outcome of Hasan’s case will be, it’s clear that Twitch are prioritizing safety, and taking a hardline stance on driving streams.