Streamers who covered themselves with black censor bars or positioned their camera frames in such a way that viewers could not see them fully clothed were responsible for this meta.
Twitch has updated its sexual content guidelines to ban implied nudity on the platform.
Twitch has recently updated its sexual content guidelines to ban implied nudity on the platform. This policy change is a response to a meta of streamers who covered themselves with black censor bars or positioned their camera frames in such a way that viewers could not see them fully clothed. The new update prohibits streamers from being fully or partially nude, including exposing genitals, buttocks, breasts and other private parts while streaming. Twitch also clarified that content creators who classify their streams under the Pools, Hot Tubs and Beaches category are allowed to wear bathing suits as long as they completely cover the genitals.
Twitch has released an update to its sexual content guidelines banning implied nudity.
The streaming platform updated its attire policy following a meta in which streamers covered themselves with black censor bars or positioned their camera frames to give viewers the impression that they were partially or fully naked.
Even though some streamers participating in the meta correctly labeled their content as having sexual themes, hiding those videos from Twitch's homepage, viewers can still come across suggestive thumbnails while browsing the site.
The new update to Twitch's attire policy reads that it doesn't permit streamers to be fully or partially nude, including exposing genitals or buttocks. Nor does it allow for implied or suggested nudity, including covering breasts or genitals with objects or censor bars.
Streamers who present themselves as women need to cover their nipples and be careful not to expose their underbusts; however, there are no restrictions on cleavage as long as coverage requirements are met and it is clear that the streamer is wearing clothing.
Everyone else needs to cover the area extending from their hips to the bottom of their pelvis and buttocks.
The latest wave of policy changes come on the heels of another sexual content policy change Twitch made last month that allowed for artistic nudity (as long as it was labeled properly) following a viral stream by an OnlyFans model. The company pulled a complete 180 on the policy shortly afterward because of explicit images created by AI, prohibiting realistic or fictional nudity in all content save for Mature-rated games.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN.
Accuracy
Twitch has banned implied nudity on the platform.
Streamers who show skin that should be covered will face enforcement action.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that Twitch has banned all forms of nudity when in fact they have only banned implied nudity. Secondly, the author states that some streamers participating in a meta correctly labeled their content as having sexual themes but this contradicts Twitch's policy which does not allow for any form of nudity or suggestive imagery. Thirdly, the article uses sensationalist language such as 'banning implied nudity' and 'streamers covered themselves with black censor bars'. This is misleading as it implies that all forms of censorship are banned when in fact Twitch allows for censorship to be used within certain guidelines.
The title implies that Twitch has banned all forms of nudity when in fact they have only banned implied nudity.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by citing Twitch's chief customer trust officer Angela Hession as a source for information about the update to their sexual content guidelines. However, this does not necessarily mean that her statements are accurate or reliable. Secondly, there is a dichotomous depiction of nudity in the article. On one hand, it is stated that streamers cannot be fully or partially nude and must cover themselves with objects or censor bars to comply with Twitch's attire policy. On the other hand, it is also mentioned that there are no restrictions on cleavage as long as coverage requirements are met and it is clear that the streamer is wearing clothing. This creates a contradiction in the article's messaging about what constitutes nudity and what can be shown or covered during streams. Lastly, there are several examples of inflammatory rhetoric used throughout the article to describe Twitch's policy changes as
a meta in which streamers covered themselves with black censor bars, among other items, or positioned their camera frames to give viewers the impression that they were partially or fully naked.
hiding those videos from Twitch's homepage
prohibiting realistic or fictional nudity in all content save for Mature-rated games.
Streamers who show skin that should be covered will face enforcement action.
Livestreamers must appropriately categorize their broadcasts in response to this policy change.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(80%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that Twitch has banned nudity entirely when in fact they have only banned implied nudity. Secondly, the author quotes a statement from Twitch saying that being naked while livestreaming is a no-no but does not provide any evidence to support this claim. Thirdly, the article states that anyone who shows skin that the rules deem should be covered will face enforcement action but does not specify what this means or how it will be enforced. Finally, the author quotes Twitch saying that they do not permit streamers to imply or suggest nudity but again provides no evidence to support this claim.
The title implies that Twitch has banned nudity entirely when in fact they have only banned implied nudity.
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The author has a clear bias towards the topic of nudity on Twitch. The article is written in an opinionated manner and uses language that dehumanizes those who are naked or implied to be naked. The author also quotes people from the community who share their own biases against nudity, further reinforcing their own bias.
The company said that livestreamers must continue to appropriately categorize their broadcasts in response to this policy change.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Levi Winslow has a conflict of interest with Twitch as he is an employee of Kotaku which covers the platform. He also has a personal relationship with Morgpie and LivStixs who are content creators on Twitch.
Twitch announced a ban on implied nudity after some streamers began to imply they weren't wearing clothing.
The policy states that streamers cannot be fully or partially nude and cannot imply full or partial nudity by covering their breasts or genitals with objects or censor bars.
Streamers who present as women must cover their nipples and do not expose underbust, while cleavage is unrestricted.
The area extending from streamers' hips to the bottom of their pelvis and backside must be covered.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that Twitch has banned nudity entirely when in fact they have only banned implied nudity. Secondly, the author uses sensationalist language such as 'marking yet another episode' and 'push boundaries' to create a false sense of urgency and importance around this issue. Thirdly, the article quotes streamers who are using censor bars or camera frames to suggest they are partially or completely nude without disclosing that these tactics have been used on Twitch before. Lastly, the author uses selective reporting by only mentioning a few examples of implied nudity while ignoring other instances where streamers were fully clothed but still using censor bars or camera frames to suggest they were partially or completely nude.
The title implies that Twitch has banned nudity entirely when in fact they have only banned implied nudity.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by citing Twitch's policy on implied nudity. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the tactics used by streamers as 'pushing boundaries'. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of the situation where some streamers are labeled as appropriately labeling their broadcasts while others are not.
Twitch introduced the policy a few weeks after the implied nudity tactic was used on its site.
Bias
(85%)
The author of the article demonstrates bias by using terms such as 'implied nudity', 'suggest they were partially or completely nude', and 'appeared to be nude' which imply a negative judgment on the streamers who used this tactic. The author also seems to have a biased view on sexual content, as he refers to it as a conflict and criticizes Twitch for easing up on its policies. He does not provide any context or explanation for why these streams were controversial or harmful, but rather assumes that they were inappropriate and offensive. The author also seems to have a bias against women streamers, as he quotes the policy that instructs them to cover more of their body than male streamers. He does not question the logic behind this double standard, nor does he provide any evidence or sources for his claims.
The implied nudity tactic was popularized by streamers including Morgpie, who was banned from Twitch after hosting a stream where she appeared to be nude through the use of camera framing and the wearing of a tubetop. The Twitch partner has since been reinstated to the platform.
Twitch has long struggled to moderate sexual content. In 2021, Twitch received criticism over a policy it had allowing streamers to appear in swimwear in “in contextually appropriate situations” such as being at the beach or in a hot tub.
Twitch received pushback last month for easing up on its sexual content policies with a rule allowing “artistic nudity” on the site, which was met with streamers pushing the boundaries of the terms of service. Twitch quickly rolled back the policy, citing “community concern.”
Twitch said in a blog post the ban is in response to streamers, including Twitch partner Morgpie, who would use censor bars or camera frames to suggest they were partially or completely nude. ... The new policy states streamers cannot be fully or partially nude and cannot imply full or partial nudity by covering their breasts or genitals with objects or censor bars.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Antonio Pequeño IV has a conflict of interest on the topic of Twitch and implied nudity as he is an owner of Morgpie, which is a company that provides services to streamers. This could compromise his ability to report objectively on this topic.
Antonio Pequeño IV owns Morgpie, a company that provides services to streamers.
Implied nudity had been a point of debate in the Twitch community over the past month.
The company states that while most streams with implied nudity were properly labeled as adult content, thumbnails are still visible and disruptive to users browsing through Twitch's directory.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in that it implies that implied nudity has been banned on Twitch when the actual policy update only prohibits streams from implying nudity. The author also uses sensationalism by stating that this marks Twitch's third sexual content/attire-related policy update in less than a month, which is not accurate.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that Twitch has seen many fads and metas come and go over the years. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing implied nudity as a 'point of debate' in the community. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of streamers who cover forbidden parts of their bodies with censor bars or keep them just off screen and those who have been properly labeled as adult content.
Twitch has seen many fads and metas come and go over the years.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Donovan Erskine has a conflict of interest with Twitch as he is an avid gamer and streamer. He also has personal relationships with the site's owners at Shacknews.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Donovan Erskine has a conflict of interest on the topic of implied nudity in Twitch's community guidelines as he is a streamer and may have personal experience with this issue.
