Kayla Bolden just started a petition to Twitch Chief Executive Officer, Emmett Shear:

#TwitchDoBetter

Dear John,

I just started a petition titled #TwitchDoBetter! 

My name is Kayla Bolden, also known as @KandidlyKayla, and I am a Black creator on Twitch: a video live streaming service platform that allows users to broadcast video games, competitions, and other creative content.

On August 13, I partnered with Twitch to host a “Stand Up To Cancer” charity livestream event to raise funds for collaborative cancer research programs. But within two hours on Twitch’s front page, more than 400 follow bots raided the livestream and bombarded me with racial slurs, pejoratives, and other hateful comments. This happened twice; and each time, it was my close friend (also the livestream moderator) who manually removed each and every one of those users and ensured that the event could proceed. While I was being targeted and harassed by racist users, Twitch did nothing. It was not until @RekItRaven, another Black Twitch user, created the viral #TwitchDoBetter hashtag that the platform acknowledged the online harassment experienced by Black users and announced plans to protect Black creators from these targeted attacks.

SIGN THE PETITION: Hold Twitch Accountable To Building Safe Online Communities For Black People! #TwitchDoBetter

John, this isn’t good enough. Since 2018, Twitch has received numerous complaints from Black creators—including myself—who have reported experiencing daily “hate raids” and other forms of online harassment. And over these past two weeks alone, the occurrence of hate raids has increased substantially. Black creators are being attacked, Black channel moderators are being forced to interact with and remove racist users, and Black children and teens are reading racist comments that belittle their identities. But time and again, Twitch has failed to be transparent and proactive in its approach to addressing anti-Black racism and harassment on its platform. 

Black creators are the driving force behind tech platforms like Twitch. We generate copious amounts of content, set new trends, and drive revenue. We should not be subject to racist attacks or made to feel unsafe while participating in activities that bring us joy (and even income). That’s why I, alongside other Black creators on the platform, am demanding that Twitch do the following:

1. Grant channel owners and moderators permission to approve or decline raids. 
2. Grant streamers the ability to set an account age requirement for those allowed to follow or message them, watch livestream events, or chat on the livestream channel.
3. Permanently ban any users believed to have violated Twitch’s Terms of Service or Community Guidelines. 
4. Conduct a racial equity audit to evaluate its policies and products for discrimination, and determine mechanisms to prevent future harm to Black communities.
5. Make a public commitment to adopt the aforementioned changes by September 18, 2021.

As the world’s leading live streaming platform for gamers, Twitch has a responsibility to cultivate safe online communities for Black creators, and develop software updates with intentionality and thoughtful consideration given to the experiences of Black users. While Twitch has since updated its anti-spam filters to better detect hate speech on live channels, it’s not clear whether the platform analyzed its algorithmic model or software for inherent racial biases. And while Twitch has since announced additional user protections (e.g., account verification improvements), it does not intend to roll out these changes until later this year. Black creators are being targeted, harassed, and attacked NOW! Twitch owes us answers and actions immediately.

SIGN THE PETITION: Demand That #TwitchDoBetter And Take Meaningful Steps To Address Anti-Black Racism And Hate On Its Platform. 

Thank you,

Kayla Bolden (@KandidlyKayla)