The U.S. Army Esports Team to Allow Banned Twitch Viewers back on Channel
The U.S. Army Esports team has announced that it will be reinstating banned viewers on their Twitch channel who had asked questions related to war crimes. According to VICE, the government-run Twitch channel temporarily stopped streaming due to accusations of potentially violating viewers’ First Amendment rights. However, the team plans to return to Twitch soon and will be unbanning accounts that were previously banned for “harassing and degrading behavior.”
Twitch Controversy and Return
After facing accusations of violating viewers’ First Amendment rights, the U.S. Army Esports team took a break from streaming on Twitch. However, they intend to make a comeback in the near future and are allowing previously banned accounts back on their channel. These accounts were banned for engaging in harassing and degrading behavior.
Reinstituting Banned Viewers
The Army is reviewing and clarifying its policies and procedures for the Twitch stream. They have assured that all banned viewers will have the opportunity to participate again as long as they adhere to the team’s guidelines. Personal attacks, crude language, pornographic material, harassment, and bullying will not be tolerated, and appropriate action will be taken against individuals who engage in such behavior.
The Story Unfolds
The controversy started when a Twitch user named Jordan Uhl asked the Army’s esports channel, “what’s your favorite u.s. w4r cr1me,” resulting in his ban. This incident led to a series of bans by the U.S. Navy for other viewers who asked similar questions. The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University intervened and demanded that the bans be lifted, arguing that military branches cannot constitutionally delete comments or ban individuals merely for raising difficult questions.
As of now, there is no specific date for the Army’s return to streaming on Twitch.