What is Twitch's "path to reinstatement"? Platform's new guideline for indefinitely banned streamers, explained

On November 1, 2023, Twitch announced a new set of guidelines for indefinitely banned streamers. In a blog post titled "An Update on Appeals and Our Enforcement Approach," Twitch's Angela Hession announced the "path to reinstatement" for content creators who have been indefinitely banned for more than six months.

The Amazon-owned platform confirmed that not all streamers would be eligible, stating that they have "built-in firm guardrails" to ensure that content creators who have been banned for "high-severity harms" are not allowed to rejoin.

An excerpt from the blog post reads:

"We’re introducing a path to reinstatement for users who have been indefinitely suspended from our service. Not everyone will be eligible. In fact, we’ve built-in firm guardrails to ensure that users who have been indefinitely suspended for high-severity harms - including those involving violence, threats, and other serious and/or illegal activity - aren't eligible to apply for reinstatement and won’t be allowed back on Twitch. Eligible users must wait six months to apply or reapply."

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Twitch's "path to reinstatement": Types of appeals and eligibility

Twitch has also specified the types of appeals it will "review and consider" in the case of banned streamers. According to the platform, content creators who believe they did not violate the Community Guidelines may have their suspension lifted:

"If you believe you did not violate the Community Guidelines, or if you believe we enforced against your account incorrectly, you may appeal. You may apply for an appeal in this category, regardless of the nature of the violation."

Streamers who have been suspended indefinitely for more than six months could be eligible to file a "request for reinstatement." Twitch explained in detail, writing:

"If you have served an indefinite suspension for more than six months, for an enforcement that was correctly applied, you may submit a request for reinstatement. We will review requests for reinstatement following indefinite suspensions for most Community Guideline violations. We will not consider reinstatements for violations of high severity harms, such as violent or illegal content. Only one request for reinstatement will be granted per user."

The platform announced the following as part of "requests for reinstatement" for streamers who had served indefinite suspension:

• You must wait at least six months from the date you were indefinitely suspended before requesting reinstatement. If you have previously requested reinstatement and were denied, you must wait six months before reapplying.
• Requests must include taking responsibility for your actions and an acknowledgment that you violated the Community Guidelines.

Readers can access the official webpage by clicking here.

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Fans react to the announcement

The announcement immediately trended on social media platforms, such as Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). One netizen wondered if Herschel "Guy," popularly known as "Dr DisRespect," could potentially return to Twitch:

Community on X discussing the new announcement 1/3 (Image via @zachbussey/X)

Others believed the change regarding indefinitely banned streamers came because of "competition":

Community on X discussing the new announcement 2/3 (Image via @zachbussey/X)

Here are some more fan reactions from X:

Community on X discussing the new announcement 3/3 (Image via @zachbussey/X)

Here's what the community on the r/LivestreamFail subreddit had to say:

Comment byu/FreeAPHUGs from discussion inLivestreamFail

Comment byu/FreeAPHUGs from discussion inLivestreamFail

Comment byu/FreeAPHUGs from discussion inLivestreamFail

Comment byu/FreeAPHUGs from discussion inLivestreamFail

Some Redditors speculated on the possibility of "JiDion" Adams or Steven "Destiny" returning to Twitch. Meanwhile, u/joenarrator believed "zero big-name" content creators would be reinstated.