Twitch platform introduced authorization to chats by phone number

The Twitch platform has decided to take seriously the fight against bullying and hate speech. From now on, channel authors can make sure that only authorized users through their phone number will have access to their chats.

The feature has already been added to the Moderation Toolkit, along with enhanced email verification capabilities. That is, this is exactly the function that any channel author can enable if desired. The function will be disabled by default.

At the same time, the function settings are quite flexible. The author can choose from a number of points regarding the need for confirmation by phone number and / or by e-mail:

• For all accounts
• For new chat participants
• For users whose account was created relatively recently. There is a choice from 1 hour ago to 6 months ago
• For users following the channel for less than a certain period of time. There is a choice from 10 minutes to 3 months

You can also set exceptions for users with VIP status, subscribers, moderators.

Twitch owners note that they understand the need to have more than one account, so up to five accounts can be verified with one phone number. However, if at least one is blocked in a particular chat, the rest associated with this number will also not be able to access this chat. The same rule applies to channels in general.

Unlike two-factor authentication, where confirmation is required each time you log into your account, you only need to verify your phone number and / or email address for chatting. After that, your account will be considered verified on all channels on Twitch. This will reduce unwanted guests, and help creators grow their channels and connect with new users without facing negative consequences because of the desire to protect themselves and their community.