I saw this streamer talking about how he boosts his viewer count artificially and he basically said he doesn’t care because it’s not against the law. This got me thinking about the whole situation with fake viewers on streaming platforms.
Is this actually something that’s permitted? I always thought using bots to inflate your numbers was against the platform rules. Maybe I’m missing something here but it seems weird that someone would openly talk about doing this.
What are the actual consequences for streamers who get caught doing this kind of thing? I’m curious if the platform actually enforces their policies or if people just get away with it most of the time.
Has anyone else noticed this becoming more common lately? It makes me wonder how many of the popular streamers might be doing similar things behind the scenes.
honestly that streamer’s an idiot for admitting it publicly lol. platforms have automated systems that catch viewbotting and it’s against TOS everywhere. I’ve seen streamers lose partnerships over this so no clue why anyone would risk it
The legal vs platform policy thing matters here. That streamer’s right that viewbotting isn’t illegal in most places, but they’re dead wrong about platform permissions. They’re missing how this screws with algorithmic placement - Twitch and YouTube use engagement metrics to decide who gets promoted in discovery feeds. Fake viewers mess up these algorithms and can actually tank your organic reach long-term. I’ve seen streamers think they’re gaming the system, but platforms are getting way better at catching these patterns with machine learning. What really bugs me is how this sets crazy expectations for new streamers who see those inflated numbers and think that’s normal growth.
Enforcement’s definitely gotten stricter. I’ve been streaming three years and saw platforms really crack down starting in 2022. They’re using smarter detection now - checking engagement patterns, not just viewer counts. Dead giveaway is thousands of viewers with zero chat or follows. The money part hurts most though. Lose monetization and you’re waiting months to get it back, even after cleaning up. This streamer talking about it openly? They’re gonna regret it when the platform checks their account.
This streamer’s breaking platform rules, even if they think it’s legally okay. Most platforms have detection systems that spot fake viewers pretty easily - they don’t chat or interact like real people do. Getting caught means anything from temp bans to permanent removal, plus losing monetization and partnership deals. The worst part? Your credibility gets destroyed. Once people find out you’re using fake viewers, your real audience usually bails fast. I’ve watched several mid-tier streamers completely wreck their careers this way because sponsors and other creators won’t touch anyone who inflates their numbers.
Every major streaming platform bans artificial viewer inflation in their terms of service, so this streamer’s breaking the rules regardless of what they claim about legality. How strictly platforms enforce this varies - some actively hunt down and punish it, others are more relaxed. Smaller streamers usually get hit harder when caught, while bigger ones might just get warnings. It screws over streamers trying to grow their audience the honest way and makes the whole playing field unfair.