Only a few days since a Kick streamer got banned for showcasing his botting software, the Stake-backed streaming platform has updated its guidelines regarding using bots to artificially increase a channel's viewership. As one of the biggest competitors to Twitch, the relatively new website has gained a lot of popularity since its launch back in 2022 despite several controversies.
A recent recurring theme in the Kick space has been the prevalence of streamers getting accused of using bots and botting to fake their live viewer numbers. So much so that after the news about the new anti-botting guidelines went around, many started trolling creators such as Rangesh "N3on" and others, with one X user saying this in response to the new rules:
"N3on and Roshtein ain't goin to like this one lmao."
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Kick updates guidelines on botting, offenders to be denied entry to the Creator Incentive Program
Viewbotting is quite a serious issue in the streaming industry and has become a highly debated topic in the community. Even popular streamers on Kick, such as Adin Ross, have talked about getting view-botted. In December 2023, the co-owner of the streaming platform acknowledged it in a clip from the Scuffed Podcast where Adin can be heard saying:
"I’ve been getting botted for five to six months on Kick. Nonstop. And it’s not me doing it, I’ve DMed them to try and fix that s**t."
Tampering with statistics as basic as viewership is quite a big deal in the streaming community, especially considering concurrent audience numbers and followers are essential yardsticks to measure a streamer's reach.
Naturally, investors, advertisers, and sponsors need such information before proceeding to make deals with creators, and the rampant use of bots on the platform seems to have finally made changes to their Community Guidelines.
Currently, rule five of the platform's guidelines reads:
"Do not bot or inflate metrics. Using bots or artificially inflating metrics is strictly prohibited on Kick. Activities such as botting, view botting, follow-for-follow schemes, and subscriber fraud are prohibited. These rules are in place to uphold the integrity of our platform and its community and will be enforced accordingly."
Furthermore, it also mentions that the people found to be engaged in such activity will be denied entry into the lucrative Creator Incentive Program:
"Engaging in such activities risks denying your application to the Kick Creator Incentive Program and disrupts the genuine interaction between Creators and their audience."
Naturally, the news has received a lot of buzz on social media, with users welcoming the changes. Here are some of the general reactions from X.
Controversial streamer N3on has become the butt of the joke for most of the community, having been accused of view-botting by numerous people, including other streamers.
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