UPDATE 31/7/20: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposal to stop the US’ armed forces from using Twitch as a recruitment tool has been voted down by the House of Congress.
The amendment was roundly defeated after more than 100 of her fellow Democrats joined Republicans in voting against it.
Following the decision, AOC took to Twitter to express some of her frustration at the amendment not passing:
Imagine trying to explain to your colleagues who are members of Congress what Twitch is 😭
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 30, 2020
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ORIGINAL STORY 23/7/20: Things are all quiet on the US Army Esports Twitch channel – for now – after several weeks of backlash and damaging headlines. The US Army, Navy and Air Force have all come under fire for using esports Twitch channels as recruitment tools, and after some viewers were banned for discussing American war crimes in Twitch chat, lawyers argued the bans were unconstitutional and potentially violated viewers’ First Amendment rights. A report for The Nation then found the Army had been advertising fake giveaways that actually redirected to a recruitment form, a practice that Twitch eventually forced the Army to stop.