"People got their livelihoods screwed": Twitch shuts door on over 100 Middle Eastern streamers over tax complications, internet reacts

sportskeeda.com:

Today, Twitch banned over 100 Middle Eastern streamers over the recent tax complications, making this possibly the largest number of simultaneous bans in the platform's history.

Just a month ago, Twitch streamers in the Middle East reported that they had yet to receive payment from the platform for their previous month of streaming. Many then reported that the site sent them a statement saying that due to discrepancies in their tax forms, they would be ineligible to receive payment at this time.

Multiple streamers who claimed they had filed their taxes correctly had also reported that they were unable to receive payments for the same reason, leading to many believing that the halt in earnings was directed at the Middle East as a whole. Streamers took to Twitter to voice their complaints, with many opining that these actions were unjust and unfair.

Today, Twitch suddenly conducted over 100 simultaneous bans on Middle Eastern streamers, giving no official statement at this time. The way the public found out about this series of bans was through the automated Twitter account StreamerBans, which posts every ban and unban on the platform.

The number of posts was so great in volume that the team that manages the account had to temporarily turn the automated system off.

With the insane number of bans reaching 223 according to StreamerBans, Twitter users shared their reactions to the massive wave of targeted bans, with plenty of people still confused as to what was happening.

With such a major move being made by the platform, many are perturbed about the circumstances and stipulations that elicited such a reaction. Public opinion has been mixed to this polarizing situation. One will want to keep a close eye on Twitch's next steps.