Twitch launches new tool to safeguard chat from harassment Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Twitch launches new tool to safeguard chat from harassment Suspicious User Detection will flag channel ban evaders. News by Ed Nightingale News reporter Updated on 1 Dec 2021 3 comments Twitch has launched a Suspicious User Detection tool to help safeguard streamers and their chat from abuse. The tool comes in the wake of hate raids and harassment on the platform, particularly for streamers from marginalised communities. It aims to catch users evading channel-level bans, powered by machine learning, by highlighting potentially suspicious activity in chat. "When you ban someone from your channel, they should be banned from your community for good. Unfortunately, bad actors often choose to create new accounts, jump back into Chat, and continue their abusive behaviour. Suspicious User Detection, powered by machine learning, is here to help you identify those users based on a number of account signals," explains a blog post by Twitch. Suspicious User Detection, powered by machine learning, is here to help you identify and restrict suspected channel ban evaders from chatting before they can disrupt your stream. Learn more here: https://t.co/01cCwnQZfw pic.twitter.com/QWVSnRPg1X- Twitch (@Twitch) November 30, 2021 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings There are two levels of flags for suspicious activity. For "likely" ban evaders, any message in chat will be visible only to streamers and their moderators. For "possible" ban evaders, the message will be shown but flagged to streamers and moderators. From there, messages can be removed and users banned. The tool will be turned on by default across all streams. However, streamers will have the option to turn it off, or adjust the settings to be more cautious - for instance, preventing any and all messages flagged by the tool. "One thing to prepare for, particularly around launch, is that no machine learning will ever be 100 percent accurate," says Twitch, which is why bans on suspicious activity aren't automatic. "You're the expert when it comes to your community, and you should make the final call on who can participate. The tool will learn from the actions you take and the accuracy of its predictions should improve over time as a result." Twitch continues: "This tool highlights our overall approach to safety technology: build powerful tools that work together to give you finer control over your community. Our work will never be finished and we're continuing to develop more tools to prevent hate, harassment, and ban evasion on Twitch." Response to the new tool has been positive on Twitter, where users say the move marks a significant step forward from the streaming platform in keeping communities safe. "This is an awesome feature," said RekItRaven, a streamer involved in the #ADayOffTwitch campaign. https://twitter.com/RekItRaven/status/1465812734893830149https://twitter.com/PlayWithJambo/status/1465911590700601344https://twitter.com/LowcoTV/status/1465810631014199299 Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store