The Heartbreaking Reason This Streamer Was Banned For 3 Months

Twitch doesn't seem to have a great track record (or consistency) when it comes to bans, particularly lately. At the beginning of 2021, Twitch began banning accounts from streamers who began their careers a little too early in age, while letting others continue streaming when they'd violated the same rule. Then, the hot tub meta and ASMR meta controversies stirred up trouble, with Amouranth's ban making headlines. Now, Twitch's latest apparent misstep involves blocking one streamer for three months with no explanation.

Jon Zherka tweeted that he'd been banned at the end of March, saying, "Just got banned and I am not sure why. I want to thank you guys for supporting me ... Don't worry too much because unlike everyone else, I am invincible." 

It turns out that Zherka wasn't so invincible. Despite attempting to contact Twitch both privately and through Twitter, he was met with radio silence from the streaming giant. On March 28, Zherka tweeted out desperately, "Hey @TwitchSupport, My account was banned 8 days ago and still have not received an email why. Please help[.]" Again, he received no answer.

Zherka proceeded to post a series of concerning messages over the next three months, including one where he shared that he was "too depressed to cry." Zherka later shared that he believed he was banned for showing a picture of a girl in a bikini on his stream, but he never indicated that he'd received confirmation from Twitch.

Most of the time, small offenses that violate Twitch's terms of service result in a few days' ban, or less, but Zherka found himself waiting for months, unsure when or if he'd be able to return and without receiving any kind of update or explanation from the platform. Some streamers, like xQc, experience frequent bans and suspensions without much repercussion.

Three months after the start of his ban, Zherka got his answer via an unceremonious email from Twitch, which he tweeted with the caption "lol." The email said that Zherka had been suspended or blocked because of a Twitch error, and offered "apologies for any confusion this might have caused." Zherka's fans were quick to point out that Twitch's mistake cost him months of income, and some argued that he might even have grounds to sue the streaming platform.

Importantly, Zherka wasn't banned completely from Twitch, and still had limited control over his account. Instead, he experienced limited access to his suspended or blocked account, which mainly meant that he couldn't stream as usual. Of course, having a Twitch account where one is unable to actually stream presents a big problem for creators who rely on Twitch for a large portion of their income.

Jon Zherka finally returned to Twitch this month, streaming on July 1 for his followers. That being said, the disappointing incident brings up a big issue the streaming world still must contend with: unjust and unexplained bans.