Pokimane has a plan to make online harassment illegal
As one of the most popular female streamers on Twitch, Imane “Pokimane” Anys has been the target of a lot of hate, harassment, and trolling. Now, Pokimane has announced that she is looking to make this behavior punishable by law.
Pokimane recently dealt with a hate raid and massive harassment at the hands of another streamer’s community. The streamer was permanently banned from Twitch for encouraging the harassment, but Pokimane continued to deal with threats on social media. Pokimane and other female streamers have also been continuously harassed and stalked throughout the years.
In response to the ongoing problem, Pokimane has announced a permanent solution.
Pokimane discusses punishment for toxic behavior online
On December 23, Pokimane brought up hate and harassment in a livestream. She said that people needed to be held accountable for their online actions and the things they do over the internet.
For now, Pokimane said she wasn’t going to go into details to avoid “rattling” some viewers, but she is looking into the creation of legislation that would aim to make toxic online behavior punishable by law. And she said she was willing to talk to politicians to get it done.
“I think there are some organizations that are involved with certain causes and I’ll be like, ‘Listen, if you ever need someone, I’m your girl,'” Pokimane said.
She explained that she would need to get in front of politicians and explain her cause to “pass a bill.” And that is something she’s willing to do. Pokimane said that she has “so many things to say” and is ready to discuss it in front of a group of politicians.
“I will do it,” she said adamantly.
So far, Pokimane has not gone into detail about her plan. For now, it seems that Pokimane plans to reach out to organizations focused on fighting harassment and abuse online. Then, she plans to help get their cause in front of the right people, acting as a spokesperson when needed.
This wouldn’t be a far stretch, since Pokimane has spearheaded other causes as well. Recently, Pokimane announced that she would lead a boycott against Twitch during the holiday season if the streaming platform didn’t ban gambling. Twitch folded almost immediately after, which proved Pokimane and other top streamers most definitely have a say when it comes to Twitch’s guidelines and regulations.