Twitch considers cheating during live streams a “minor” offense.

Twitch has updated its enforcement rules so that streamers caught violating its guidelines will be subjected to varying limited-time bans, with even indefinitely suspendees able to reapply for their accounts to be reinstatement after six months.

This means even streamers with multiple infringements merely have to wait for the violations to “drop off [their] account”. Providing you don’t reoffend in a set period, your account will be reset to “good standing”, as though the original violation never happened.

Higher-severity violations – such as ones for hateful conduct – could remain on an account longer, such as a couple of years. But players caught cheating in games whilst streaming via Twitch are now deem “low severity” will only face a 24-hour suspension from the service.

“Starting today, most violations will expire and drop off of your account after a set amount of time,” Twitch explained. “You will be able to track when they expire in the Appeals Portal, and this information will also be in the enforcement emails that you receive.

“Most violations committed tend to be low severity (such as cheating in online games) and will expire in 90 days. However, higher-severity violations (such as hateful conduct) will remain on an account longer, and will expire in 1 or 2 years.

“The most severe harms will still result in immediate indefinite suspensions. If you are indefinitely suspended due to accumulating multiple violations within a short time period, you are able to apply for reinstatement after 6 months.”

Twitch believes “escalating consequences” will “hold users accountable for repeated harmful behaviour”, defining harm as “including actions that lead to physical, emotional, social, or financial damage to a community member, to Twitch, or to society”.

If your account was previously indefinitely suspended it will remain so despite these changes, Twitch stressed, although in those instances, users can apply for reinstatement (thanks, Insider Gaming).

In November, just ahead of the US elections, Twitch tightened its rules around broadcasts that include debates about “political” and “sensitive social issues”. However, after a vocal backlash, Twitch clarified that labels would not apply if a streamer is discussing their “lived experience”, or if discussion of these topics isn’t the “focus” of the stream.