Streaming platform Twitch “deeply regrets” blocking account sign-ups in Israel and Palestine, calling it an “unacceptable miss.”
On October 20, 2024, Twitch Support made a post on X/Twitter that apologized for “inadvertently” blocking Israeli and Palestinian users from creating new accounts on the platform.
The platform said it wanted to “address concerns” cropping up online regarding whether or not it is “preventing Twitch account sign-ups in some regions.”
They explained that following the October 7, 2023, attacks, Twitch “temporarily disabled sign-ups” in Israel and Palestine to “prevent uploads of graphic material related to the attack and to protect the safety of users.”
They reiterated that signups were not completely “disabled” and noted that users in these regions could still create new accounts using phone verification.
We wanted to address concerns we’ve seen about whether we’re preventing Twitch account sign ups in some regions.When signing up for a Twitch account, you can select an account verification method – email or phone – for added protection. Following the October 7, 2023 attacks, we…
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) October 21, 2024
However, Twitch added that they “inadvertently” never re-enabled email verification in either region, calling it an “unacceptable miss” that they “deeply regret.”
Twitch later confirmed in the same post that they have “fixed the issue, meaning all affected users can sign up with email verification” while addressing online concerns about the consistency in their Community Guidelines.
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“We continue to enforce our rules as consistently as possible, actively review content and take enforcement action where needed.”
This post from Twitch was posted just hours after political streamer Destiny alleged on his podcast that Twitch had blocked Israelis and Palestinians from making new accounts on the platform.
wait lol okay so I assumed honestly it was just an error or something, is it seriously Twitch policy to block Israeli's from making accounts?????? this HAS to be a mistake, no?????? pic.twitter.com/Adh6mOfOjh
— Destiny (@TheOmniLiberal) October 20, 2024
Following Twitch’s announcement, users criticized the company for claiming it took them “a year to identify this problem.” Others have called the response “weak and pathetic.”
This also came off the back of Asmongold being hit with a 14-day ban on Twitch following “racist” comments he made during a stream.
The community called on the Amazon-owned platform to take action against other notable streamers, such as Frogan, for comments she posted on X regarding the ongoing conflict.