As many of you know, over the past several months we have been working to enhance the DLive user experience with a focus on updating our policies to promote the attractiveness, user experience, and responsible use of our platform.
Today, we are announcing another important step in that ongoing and evolving effort with the introduction of updated Terms of Service and Service Guidelines.
Among the various changes being made, the most significant is an overhaul of our tagging system.
DLive has traditionally had two “ratings” for streams: a general audience rating for streams that are appropriate for everyone, and an X-Tag rating, which applies to streams that are intended only for a mature audience (i.e., adults age 18+).
In the wake of the events of January 6, we halted the ability of those streaming with the X-tag rating to participate in the platform’s monetary rewards system and thereby earn money through the platform from viewers. The goal was to mitigate the risk that anyone violating our Guidelines in their stream could continue to collect revenue from those streams.
However, the inevitable consequence was that a lot of great creators who wanted to provide appropriate, mature streams lost the ability to monetize their work on our platform.
In order to provide more detailed gradations of ratings, and to strike a better balance, we have developed an updated rating system under which all creators on our platform will be required to rate their streams into one of three categories.
Importantly, all persons must at all times adhere to our Terms of Service and to our Service Guidelines, and the ratings below apply only to material and behavior that otherwise conforms to those terms and guidelines. In addition, we have clarified our rights under the Terms of Service to halt payments to persons who violate our Terms of Service and Service Guidelines.
Family Friendly:
This is the appropriate rating for all streams that are free of mature behaviors, images and messages. In other words, no excessive use of expletives, no depictions of extreme violence, no in-game nudity, no depictions of smoking or consuming alcohol, and no expression of highly critical opinions about real world people, groups or institutions. Think of a PG or PG-13 rated movie.
Anyone streaming under the Family Friendly rating will be able to be featured on the DLive homepage, be accessible to all DLive users, participate in our DLive Verified and Global Partners programs, and will be able to accept donations or otherwise monetize their content on the platform. It is our expectation that, as has always been the case, the vast majority of content streamed on DLive will fit comfortably within this rating.
Mature Tag:
The new Mature Tag rating is for streams that are going to involve behaviors, images or messages that are more in the realm of a mainstream R-rated movie.
These streams can appear on our homepage, but will be accompanied by a warning to viewers that the content is intended for mature audiences. Only viewers aged 18+ are authorized to access these streams. Creators should apply the Mature Tag if they intend to include depictions of fictional violence (for example, a graphically violent war-based game), use adult language, express critical opinions related to real life individuals, groups or institutions, depict smoking or drinking, show in-game nudity (pornographic depictions of nudity are entirely prohibited from the platform under our Terms of Service and Service Guidelines), etc.
Content creators streaming under the Mature Tag can accept donations or subscriptions in our platform, participate in DLive Verified and Global Partners programs, and otherwise freely utilize the platform with the exception of restricting their audience to those 18+.
X-Tag:
Finally, creators who recognize that their streaming “pushes the envelope” in terms of its behaviors, images and messages are required to apply the X-Tag rating.
Creators streaming with an X-Tag rating will operate under all the same restrictions applied to the Mature Audience rating AND their streams will only be accessible on the X-Tag section of the site (not on the homepage) and will also be unable to accept viewer donations or subscriptions within the platform. X-Tag streams will be ineligible for participation in our DLive Verified and Global Partnership programs.
Importantly, the X-Tag rating DOES NOT mean “anything goes.” X-Tag streams are still subject to all of our Service Guidelines and Terms of Service including prohibitions on hate speech, incitements to violence, depictions of illegal activity, pornographic material, etc. X-Tag simply means that you are streaming content that is at the outer edge of what’s allowable on our platform, but without crossing the line into prohibited material or behaviors. As always, violations of our Service Guidelines and Terms of Service can lead to sanctions including account suspensions and terminations.
We recognize that the distinctions between Family Friendly, Mature and X-Tag ratings are somewhat subjective.
Our message to creators is simple: err on the side of caution. When in doubt, apply the more restrictive rating. If you believe your streams are likely to be appropriate for those who are above the age of 18, even if you are not 100% certain it checks all the boxes for being Mature, you should rate yourself Mature.
Similarly, if you are unsure about whether your stream will fit the Mature or X-Tag rating, we encourage you to select X-Tag. We recognize that in marking your stream X-Tag, you forfeit the ability to monetize your stream through the platform. But if this is a concern to you, then the appropriate response is to pull back from “edgier” content, thus making your stream appropriate for the Mature rating. If you are intent on engaging in behaviors, showing images, or delivering messages that are more aggressive, then you need to accept the X-Tag rating and the associated restrictions.
Streamers are responsible for applying accurate ratings to their streams. Any creator who fails to accurately rate their content or who streams under an inappropriate rating is subject to having the X-Tag rating permanently and uniformly applied to their entire channel at the sole discretion of DLive, thus losing the ability to monetize on our platform. As always, violations of our Service Guidelines or Terms of Service can result in account suspensions or permanent bans and in the halting of payments to streamers.
Through this new rating system, we aim to keep the DLive community vibrant and growing, and to continue to enable creators to reach their audience and capture the value they create. We urge creators with questions about the system to visit our Help page. And we encourage anyone viewing streams on DLive that believe they are mis-rated or in violation of our Service Guidelines to use the easy in-app tools we provide to report that to us so we can take action.
Thank you,
The DLive Team
Q&A:
Why is DLive taking this action now?
DLive is committed to maintaining an attractive, welcoming, and safe platform for our users, while also allowing a broad array of creators to express themselves. Achieving that balance requires building spaces that are appropriate for everyone, other spaces that are only appropriate for mature audiences, and others that are appropriate only for those looking for a certain type of edgier experience.
This ratings system gives streamers the ability to tag their material more precisely and gives our users tools to manage their experience on the platform, so that creators and users can meet at the levels of experience that they intend and expect in common.
Does this action change DLive’s policy toward previously prohibited behaviors, images or messages?
No. Our Service Guidelines continue to expressly prohibit things like hate speech, incitement to violence, pornography and fraud. Those restrictions apply no matter what rating is applied to a stream. Violators of our Service Guidelines and Terms of Service, regardless of rating, remain subject to suspension or banning from the platform.
Why shouldn’t X-tag streams be able to monetize on the platform?
By definition, X-Tag rated streams are pushing the envelope in terms of the behaviors, images and messages being delivered. While DLive does not want to deny creators the ability to be bold, provided they comply with our Service Guidelines and Terms of Service, we also want to be clear that material and behavior that approaches the limits are not necessarily the type of stream our platform was built to host. If a creator insists on that type of stream, then it comes with restrictions, including the ability to monetize on our platform.
How will the ratings system be enforced?
As always, DLive’s moderation team will be reviewing streams for appropriate ratings. But it is impossible to review everything all the time, so we are asking our users to help us ensure that the system works by reporting inaccurate ratings. Users found to be inaccurately tagging their streams are subject to having their entire channel put in the X-Tag section, perhaps permanently, thus losing the ability to monetize their work on our platform.
What should I do if I’m a creator and I’m not sure how to tag my stream?
When in doubt, apply the more restrictive stream. If you still can’t decide what is appropriate, you can submit your question here https://go.dlive.tv/contact and we will try to give you guidance on how to tag.
What should I do if I’m a viewer and I believe a creator’s stream is inaccurately tagged?
Please immediately report that here https://go.dlive.tv/contact.
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