Twitch apologises for "issue" preventing account sign-ups in Israel and Palestine

Twitch has issued an apology for preventing new account sign-ups from Israel and Palestine due to the ongoing conflict.

When creating an account, users can select a verification method via email or phone. However, in a statement shared on X/Twitter, the streaming platform explained sign-ups with email verification were temporarily disabled following the attacks on 7th October 2023 to "prevent uploads of graphic material related to the attack and to protect the safety of users".

However, until recently, this verification had not been re-enabled.

The statement continued: "Signups were not disabled, and we continued to see sign ups from both regions. Users could choose to sign up with phone verification. We've learned that, inadvertently, we did not re-enable email verification sign ups for either region.

"We deeply regret this unacceptable miss, and the confusion it has caused. We've fixed the issue, meaning all affected users can sign up with email verification."

This all may have simply been an honest mistake from Twitch to re-enable verification in a timely manner, and indeed Twitch has been working towards greater transparency with its community for some time.

However, users have responded to the statement suggesting phone verification was also blocked and not just email verification, somewhat undermining the sentiment.

In a statement shared with Eurogamer, a Twitch spokesperson confirmed phone verification was still available and is used for around half of all new accounts.

"Following the attacks of October 7, 2023, Twitch suspended the ability to create new accounts via email verification in both Gaza and Israel," the statement reads. "We did this to try to avoid new streamers creating accounts, with only an email verification, who might stream upsetting videos related to the attacks. This action did not fully restrict the creation of new accounts for customers in these locales, as mobile phone verification still worked and represents roughly half of our new accounts created.

"The suspension was intended as a temporary measure to prevent uploads of graphic content in order to protect the safety of our customer community, but was mistakenly extended until we were made aware of the error this week. Once we were made aware of the issue, it was quickly fixed and new accounts in both Gaza and Israel can now be created and verified by both email and mobile phone."

Twitch's protective measures here are perhaps unsurprising. A shooting at a Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019 was livestreamed on Facebook; later the same year, a shooting outside a synagogue in Germany was streamed on Twitch.

Nevertheless, Twitch's policies have come under fire following racist and anti-semitic comments from high profile streamer Asmongold. While he was rightly banned from the platform for breaking its terms of use, some have called the consistency of Twitch's policies into question.

"We've also heard concerns about whether our Community Guidelines apply to all content on our service," Twitch's statement continued. "We continue to enforce our rules as consistently as possible, and are actively reviewing content and taking enforcement action where needed."

Safety and transparency were major topics when I spoke with staff at this year's TwitchCon Europe.