Some Twitch users appear to be logging the IP addresses of streamers they follow.
Hate raids have targeted a number of marginalized streamers, resulting in their chat being swamped with racist, homophobic, and transphobic abuse, among other things. While Twitch has stated that it will address the problem, it appears that things are simply getting worse. Reyven, a Twitch streamer, took to Twitter to inform out that some of his followers are actually IP grabbers used to trigger raids.
An IP grabber, such as Grabify, can log your IP address, and all you have to do is be duped into clicking a link. Yes, it’s that easy. Reyven mentioned that they were being followed on Twitch by a specific profile, but that they had already heard about the problem on Reddit. According to the Reddit thread, the account address you’d use to view your profile is linked to an IP logging program. When someone obtains your IP, they can do a lot with it, like start hate raids. Reyven then proceeded to give a list of usernames that have been linked to IP logging in the past, so that other steamers can prohibit them ahead of time.
Hate raids against marginalized streamers have become all too regular. A lot of them took to social media to encourage Twitch to take action, with the hashtag #TwitchDoBetter becoming a trend. The streaming services were alerted to the situation and issued a statement. Twitch noted in a series of tweets, “We’ve seen a lot of debate around botting, hate raids, and other forms of abuse targeting disadvantaged producers.” “You expect us to do better, and we recognize that we must do more to address these issues.”
However, many streamers believed that this was insufficient. They took things a step further by organizing a movement called #ADayOffTwitch. On September 1, all linked streamers will essentially go on strike from streaming on the platform. The campaign has gained a large following, and letters of encouragement have flooded in.
Another method used to target streamers is to flood offline accounts’ chats with racial slurs, screenshot them, then submit i/ t to Twitch, where they will be banned. According to the platform’s terms of service, streamers are accountable for the content in chat, even when they are offline. While offline, streamers are encouraged to limit their conversation to emotes exclusively.
Attacks on certain streamers have also begun to endanger their lives. We reported earlier this month that someone attempted to set fire to Amouranth’s residence. While no one was injured and the fire was promptly extinguished, authorities suspect arson.