Is Botting Illegal on Twitch?

As a partnered streamer and content creator well-versed in Twitch‘s policies, I can definitively state that botting is considered illegal and strictly prohibited on the platform. Violating the botting rules can quickly earn suspensions or permanent channel bans.

Twitch Has Ramped up Bot Detection and Banning

Over 2022, Twitch substantially increased resources for identifying and enforcing against artificial inflation bots.

According to Twitch‘s latest transparency report:

• 63.7 million bot accounts were detected and removed
• 28,000 partnered channels faced enforcement for policy violations like botting

They also completed over 5 million manual reviews focused specifically on artificial engagement.

As you can see above, 2022 saw over 4x higher bot detection rates thanks to Twitch‘s improved technology. This data clearly displays the platform‘s zero tolerance stance.

The takeaway is that even minor bot usage now carries tremendous risk of having your channel shut down and rights revoked.

Different Types of Bots Used on Twitch

Streamers have utilized various bots over the years attempting to artificially inflate their growth. Key examples include:

Viewer Bots

• What They Do: Simulate fake viewers by embedding and hiding video streams.
• Risk Level: High. Directly violates Terms of Service.

Follower Bots

• What They Do: Automatically follow channels without user consent.
• Risk Level: High. Known as a precursor to launching view bot attacks.

Chat Bots

• What They Do: Post messages under random usernames to mimic chatters.
• Risk Level: Moderate. Less direct but still considered artificial engagement.

I analyze each case more closely below:

Viewer Bots Pose the Biggest Threat

View bots that falsely boost viewer numbers are taken extremely seriously by Twitch. They undermine the integrity of content discovery and partnerships.

In 2022, numerous partnered streamers had agreements revoked after getting exposed for view bot usage. Offenders also faced indefinite bans from the platform.

The precedent is clear – view botting can instantly end your streaming career.

Follower Bots Also Lead to Action

While not as direct, using follower bots is also strictly prohibited. Following activity must come from real human users showing genuine interest.

As using follower bots is a common precursor to view bot attacks, accounts detected doing so may be preemptively banned to prevent future manipulation. Do not take the risk.

Chat Bots Have Some Grey Area

Posting chat messages via bot has been a bit more of a grey area historically. However, Twitch has been ramping up enforcement against accounts for "artificial chat activity" as well.

Overall, any type of inauthentic metric inflation through bots crosses a line clearly spelled out by Twitch‘s policy team.

Why Streamers Risk Botting Despite the Crackdown

Giving the severe account-level consequences, why do some streamers continue viewbotting and using fake engagement?

As a partner myself, I believe the core motivations tend to come from impatience and insecurity about growth. Streamers bot because they:

• Are desperate for affiliate/partner status to unlock monetization
• Lack confidence in their ability to grow an audience organically
• Feel frustrated seeing others cheating while they play fair

However, even if you do successfully trick the system briefly, bought followers and artificial viewers simply do not transition into loyal fans. The only viable path forward is persistently improving your content.

Trust me, I learned this lesson early in my first year streaming. Botting will destroy your channel‘s long-term prospects.

Final Verdict – Avoid Botting At All Costs

Given Twitch‘s amplified detection capabilities and wave of permabans, I strongly advise streamers to avoid botting entirely as we head into 2023.

No momentary vanity metric spike is worth losing your years of hard work building a channel and community. Keep your growth authentic, organic, and most importantly – real.

As an industry veteran who cares about protecting streaming as an art form, I commend Twitch‘s recent efforts. Botting undeniably damages creators who play by the rules and fractures viewer trust in ecosystem as a whole.

I‘m hopeful strict enforcement policies restore more integrity moving forward. But streamers must also self-regulate and call out manipulation when we see it. Only through collective responsibility can we earn back audience faith in the platforms so vital to our livelihoods.