In a confounding and untenable misstep, Twitch recently unbanned a Fortnite streamer who had previously been banned after he was caught abusing his pregnant wife on stream. Twitch has since re-banned the offending streamer’s account following a media firestorm, but this is only one of many incidents that have revealed the gaping fractures in the major streaming platform’s approach to moderation.
Luke Munday, the 26-year-old Australian man who goes by MrDeadMoth on Twitch, was seen assaulting his pregnant wife during a December 9th Fortnite stream. In an exhibition of truly despicable human behavior, a recording of the stream shows Munday moving off-screen at the height of the altercation, at which point viewers can hear a loud slapping noise that causes his wife and one or more of their two young children to cry out. Munday was arrested by local authorities and charged with common assault on the night of the crime, and he is due to appear in court later this January. As of mid-December, Munday faced a court-mandated restraining order from his wife as part of his bail agreement, as well as suspension from his job.
Yet, Munday seemed to have effortlessly wriggled his way out of his not-so indefinite suspension from Twitch either by means of appeal or simple patience. Not even a month later, Rod Breslau shared a screenshot exposing that the suspension of the MrDeadMoth account had apparently been lifted, as Munday was once again using it to stream Fortnite on January 2nd. Twitch re-banned Munday’s account by January 4th, and it has since remained suspended indefinitely.
Twitch is no stranger to controversy, with the comment sections of its streams being infamous for the toxic clouds of hate speech and general unpleasantness in which they routinely inundate themselves. However, Twitch streamers engaging in criminal acts beyond piracy or recreational drug use is relatively uncommon for the site, and this latest incident has sparked an online uproar, primarily among the streaming community. Many feel that their accounts have been suspended or permanently banned for far less. Meanwhile, this particular streamer seemed to have gotten away with little else than a slap on the wrist after violating Twitch’s Terms of Service when engaging in domestic abuse in the middle of a stream only a month before being unbanned.
While the rest of the world seemed to be repulsed by Munday’s violent behavior, Twitch came across as indifferent at best and condoning at worst when automatically or manually lifting the ban on his account, only stepping in to intervene when public outcry grew loud enough. Though Twitch has since fixed its dire mistake, the damage to its brand is done, and many are likely wondering where the platform’s priorities truly lie.
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Source: Rod Breslau
