Jan 7, 2021 - Technology

Twitch disables Trump's channel following chaos in D.C.

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Photo illustration: Filip Radwanski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Twitch, the Amazon-owned live video streaming platform, disabled President Trump's account, a spokesperson confirmed to Axios on Thursday.

Why it matters: It's the latest in a string of platform efforts to take action on Trump's accounts following his calls for violence that resulted in the historic riot at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

  • Snapchat was the first to disable the president's account Wednesday.
  • Facebook said Thursday it banned Trump's account indefinitely, but at least for two weeks.
  • Twitter froze Trump out of his account for breaking the platform's rules, and may be ban him indefinitely if he breaks the company's rules again.
  • YouTube said it will start applying strikes to Trump's account and other channels that post videos pushing misinformation about the election results.
  • Shopify, the e-commerce platform, removed two online stores affiliated with the president.

What they're saying: “In light of yesterday’s shocking attack on the Capitol, we have disabled President Trump’s Twitch channel," a spokesperson from Twitch told Axios.

  • "Given the current extraordinary circumstances and the President's incendiary rhetoric, we believe this is a necessary step to protect our community and prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence."

Flashback: Twitch was one of the first platforms in June to temporarily ban Donald Trump's channel for hateful content about the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer.

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