Although Twitch's crackdown on partnered streamers started with a recently uncovered string of sexual assault allegations, the streaming giant has also been addressing controversial figures accused of other types of misconduct. According to the latest reports, the widely unpopular Phil "DarkSydePhil" Burnell is the latest streamer that Twitch has removed from its platform.
Unlike the other removed streamers, Burnell has no history of sexual assault. However, the divisive YouTuber has a history of making and defending racist jokes while taking criticism personally. As with the highly discussed ban of Dr. Disrespect, Twitch has not commented on the reason behind DarkSydePhil's ban.
The StreamerBans Twitter bot account was the first to detect and report Twitch's latest ban. As the tweet reported, this is Burnell's first ban. After the removal cut DarkSydePhil off during a stream, he took to Twitter to tell his viewers that Twitch had "suspended" him and given him the opportunity to appeal the decision. The streamer also expressed concern about Twitch's silence, since the platform previously communicated with him about a suspension two years ago. After concluding his initial thread, Burnell turned to YouTube and held a chatting stream to discuss his predicament. However, he quickly clarified that in order to comply with Twitch's rules, any future YouTube streams would not involve any gameplay.
Although many social media users celebrated DarkSydePhil's first ban, Twitch's decision likely won't be permanent. In one of his many tweets, the streamer asked his subscribers if Twitch was processing refunds for his channel. Most responses confirmed that their subscriptions were still active, and that they could still use channel emotes. Nevertheless, many comments celebrated Twitch's ban, and some even asked why the streaming platform hadn't taken more decisive action against Burnell sooner for his previous controversies.
While Twitch's decision to take action against toxic streamers is understandable, its lack of communication is arguably unfair to both its creators and its viewers. In order to understand how Twitch is making itself safer for all viewers, users should understand the rationale behind the company's decisions. Similarly, creators whose incomes depend on the streaming platform should have the right to know when they're being removed.
Source: StreamerBans, Phil Burrell/Twitter