Due to backlash and controversial content, Twitch backtracked on its recent policy update that briefly allowed more nudity on the platform.
The initial nudity policy update aimed to address user requests, with the intention of allowing the artist community on Twitch to use the human form in their art. However, according to Clancy, the change led to an unspecified number of streamers producing content that violated the new policy. Additionally, Twitch received complaints about certain content that, although allowed under the updated policy, raised concerns among users.
Just two days after announcing changes to permit artistic nudity, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy revealed in a blog post that the company is immediately “rolling back the artistic nudity changes.”
We’re making some additional updates to our Sexual Content Policy. We realize that our earlier update caused confusion and appreciate all the feedback we’ve received. Thanks for always coming together with us to help build the best version of Twitch.
Check out the changes here:… https://t.co/Qj9IJLntff
— Twitch (@Twitch) December 15, 2023
Clancy explained that the unique challenge of digital depictions of nudity, coupled with advancements in AI (artificial intelligence) creating realistic images from scraped data of artwork, photos, and other content online, prompted the decision to revert the policy. The difficulty in distinguishing between digital art and photography played a role in this reversal.
As of now, there are no further changes to the recently updated sexual content policy, which briefly permitted more nudity after years of controversies surrounding content moderation on the platform. The revised policy aimed to eliminate confusion by consolidating separate policies into a single sexual content policy under Twitch’s community guidelines.
Twitch Chief Customer Trust Officer Angela Hession acknowledged the confusion stemming from the previous policy, particularly in the interpretation of what constituted prohibited content. The consolidation and clarification were initially aimed to provide streamers with a more transparent understanding of the types of sexual content that are prohibited on Twitch.
A key aspect of the updated policy is the introduction of Content Classification Labels (CCLs) for sexual content. The appropriate application of CCLs allows certain labeled content, such as “body writing on female-presenting breasts and/or buttocks” and “erotic dances involving disrobing or disrobing gestures,” to be allowed on the platform. This, however, ensures that mature content is not promoted on the homepage, with exceptions made for streams labeled as including mature-rated games and profanity.
Hession emphasized the importance of accurate content labeling to align with viewer expectations, reducing the risk of inconsistent enforcement and bringing Twitch’s policy more in line with other social media services.
Failure to label sexual content may result in penalties such as warnings, with Twitch automatically applying labels to content missing them. Repeated failure to label content could lead to a label being temporarily locked onto the stream.
While these changes were intended to expand the scope of acceptable content, certain types of sexual content remain prohibited, including pornographic content, youth nudity, fictionalized sexual acts, simulated sexual activity or erotic roleplay in online games. Uploads of such prohibited content may result in content removal or account suspensions.
However, the Twitch management may have underestimated how far some Twitch users would go. Given how A.I. image generators like Midjourney, Dall-E, Stable Diffusion, and more are being exploited due to the lack of regulations, the update to Twitch policies should have taken this into consideration.
In response to the feedback and unforeseen content issues, Twitch is in the process of updating its community guidelines to reflect the latest changes to the sexual content policy. Clancy acknowledged the need for adjustments that serve the community and apologized for any confusion caused by the recent policy update.
As Twitch navigates the delicate balance between artistic expression and community standards, the platform continues to evolve its content policies to ensure a more inclusive and transparent environment. Having said that, the reactions are generally finding this situation amusing. The sentiment is that Twitch should have had the foresight to know this would happen.
What do you think of this development? Were you expecting this is how the Twitch artistic nudity policy was going to turn out? Do you agree with the reversal of that policy, given the prevalence of exploiting A.I. images online?
