Twitch will ban people for harassment, even when it doesn’t happen on the site 

      • Twitch will now ban users who harass members of its community — even when that harassment takes place off Twitch.  
      • The streaming platform announced a major expansion of its off-service misconduct policy today that allows it to take action against users who mistreat people regardless of where it happens, whether it’s offline or on another social platform. 
      • The new policy splits misconduct into two categories: category one, which applies to harassment that takes place on and off Twitch, and category two, which applies only to harassment off Twitch.  
      • The first category is not new, but the second one is. This new category means if Twitch finds out about “serious offences that pose a substantial safety risk to the Twitch community,” it will take action, even when those offences took place entirely off the platform. 
      • For the full story, select here.  

       

      Facebook tries out experimental new app 

      • Facebook’s experimental app development division, the NPE Team, has released a new Q&A platform that borrows concepts from the new audio-only social network Clubhouse but includes live-streaming too.  
      • The platform is called Hotline, and according to a report from TechCrunch, it featured its first Q&A with investor Nick Huber earlier today.. 
      • A website for the service is online now and allows sign-ins via Twitter, but it features only a waitlist and a tool for applying to host your own show.  
      • TechCrunch says Facebook has created designs for mobile versions of the app, though those do not appear to be live at this moment. 
      • News of Facebook building its own version of Clubhouse first surfaced in February, though Hotline is said to be a different product than the ongoing Clubhouse competitor being built by the team behind the video chat platform Messenger Rooms, TechCrunch reports.
      • For the full story, select here

      Four teenagers arrested in county lines arrests: Harrogate  

      • Four teenagers who hid drugs including MDMA and Cocaine in a pizza box are among nine people who’ve been arrested as part of an operation to crackdown on county lines drug dealing. 
      • Police are continuing to crackdown on crimes in Harrogate and the Dales which often exploit vulnerable people. 
      • County lines drug dealing is when drug dealers in cities and larger towns put pressure on vulnerable people and children to sell in smaller villages. 
      • Officers say they’ve visited more than 70 people during February and March, who are often drug users who don’t recognise that they themselves are victims.
      • To read the full story, select here.

           

          The X Factor’s Rebecca Ferguson accuses music industry bosses of ‘grooming 17-year-old boys who are confused about their sexuality’ 

          • The X Factor star Rebecca Ferguson is calling for an “overhaul” of the music industry after claiming that artists are sexually assaulted and “groomed”. 
          • The singer has been vocal on social media in recent months about the negative experiences of herself and others as recording artists. 
          • Ferguson is calling for a parliamentary enquiry into the way the music industry operates in hope of “protecting artists” and will be meeting with Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden in May to discuss the issue. 
          • On Tuesday (6 April), Ferguson made allegations about the industry via Twitter, including acts of sexual assault, and grooming teenage boys. 
          • For the full story, select here

          Ofsted to inspect schools named in sexual harassment allegations online 

          • Schools and colleges in England where students have reported incidences of sexual violence could be visited by inspectors from the regulator, Ofsted. 
          • The watchdog has announced it will visit “a sample of schools and colleges where cases have been highlighted”. 
          • Inspectors will assess how well schools respond and support their pupils. 
          • It comes after more than 11,000 reports were posted on the ‘Everyone’s Invited’ website, where students can anonymously share their experiences of abuse. 
          • Many of the allegations on the website refer to sexual harassment carried out against young women by young men at their school or university.
          • For the full story, select here.