Popular streamer Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel thinks that enforcing the new rules against viewbotting will be very hard, even if they are intended to support streamers.
Over the years, many streamers and content creators have faced issues with botting.
Trolls have used bots to artificially increase follower numbers, trying to get streamers banned since botting goes against platform rules.
Some streamers have even taken advantage of botting.
They have raised their follower and viewer counts to gain attention, no matter what punishment comes their way.
On October 21, the US Federal Trade Commission announced that viewbotting is now illegal.
This law applies if someone knowingly uses bots to inflate their view count.
However, xQc believes it will still be hard to enforce this law.
During his stream on October 22, he expressed his doubts.
“Oh god, chat, that seems impossible to enforce, sorry,” he said.
He explained that if someone bots a close friend, that person could just claim they didn’t know anything about it.
When they share their data with a company, they might argue it’s not proven that their numbers are fake.
xQc is not convinced that the enforcement of these rules will achieve anything meaningful.
He also questioned if those who benefit from viewbotting will get caught.
“They’ve never got caught, they never will,” he said.
He mentioned that it’s easy for people to deny being responsible when they are targeted by a view botter.
Furthermore, xQc emphasized that the lack of accountability for recipients of viewbotting remains a significant concern.
He stated, “They have never faced punishment and they likely won’t in the future.” xQc argued that individuals involved in viewbotting often have numerous ways to deny their actions.
The recent FTC rules also include a stipulation requiring social media influencers to disclose when they are being paid to promote a product or service. These regulations went into effect on October 21, leaving no room for loopholes or delays.
xQc’s remarks shed light on the broader implications of such regulations in the streaming community, where many feel the challenges of enforcement might outweigh the intended benefits.
Overall, while the intention behind the new rules against viewbotting is to protect streamers, the effectiveness of these regulations remains a topic of debate in the gaming and streaming communities.
