Earlier this month, Amazon-owned Twitch issued an apology after revelations that Israeli users had been blocked from creating new accounts on the platform for over a year.
The Seattle-based streaming giant, which hosts over 240 million users monthly, had restricted new Israeli sign-ups following the October 7 Hamas attacks, intending to prevent the spread of violent content.
However, this policy remained active far longer than anticipated, with Twitch stating it had “forgotten” to remove the restrictions until recently. The limitations affected users in both Israel and the West Bank, though no similar restrictions were placed on other regions facing conflict, such as Ukraine, Russia, or Lebanon.
The situation has drawn criticism from the platform’s community, as some users accuse Twitch of being permissive with anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric.
Notably, high-profile streamers with millions of followers have been able to broadcast content supporting groups like Hezbollah and the Houthis without facing repercussions, sparking further backlash against Twitch’s content moderation policies.
* The Jewish Chronicle contributed to this article.