As highlighted in this recent Twitch Support tweet, we just updated some of the code that we use to detect and eliminate viewbots. I wanted to quickly follow up on a few key points regarding the recent update to our viewbot detection.
First, I want to be very clear that we always try to detect and eliminate viewbots. However, doing this in a manner that does not eliminate real viewers can be tricky. While I know for some of you it has been frustrating, we wanted to take our time to make sure we were not inadvertently filtering out real users.
Second, I wanted to highlight that bots come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes streamers may be actively working with third parties to inflate their numbers. In other cases, the bots may be used to harass streamers. We don’t want either type, because Average Concurrent Viewers (ACCV) is intended to be a measure of the people that are watching the streamer at any given point in time.
As is always the case, detecting viewbots is a bit of a cat and mouse game as third parties work to avoid our detection. We will continue monitoring and make updates over time to improve our viewbot detection system.
i was just interviewed by the talented podcasted @afk2chat and it was tons of fun!
Tune in to hear my spicy takes about streaming
https://t.co/Lwp06D7hjh