Yes, SE haven't been as strict with their policies in the past, that's fact. XIV hasn't ever been as popular, nor as visible, "A Titan among games", as it is now. It should come as no surprise that SE are taking a harder stance on enforcing their ToS; especially when it comes to highly visible streamers.

That's an important point from the recent post that people aren't talking about. With such an increased player base many more people are modding and with the greatly increased global awareness of the game, SE have to step up and start sending clear and present messages that even the most braindead person could understand. To people unfamiliar with Japanese communication, it seems like Yoshi's been mealy-mouthed and wishy-washy about explaining the use of mods and ToS. For those familiar with Japanese communication styles, the message is loud and clear: do not use them, at all, ever. His messages have been as clear to Japanese people as "ALL MODS ARE BANNED, DO NOT USE THEM EVER, NO EXCEPTIONS, IF WE FIND YOU, WE MAY SUSPEND YOUR ACCOUNT." would be to a Westerner.

It's a whole lot easier to hit an individual streamer with a suspension than it is to seek out many non-streamers. On top of that, how much publicity have these recent actions given the issue? How many thousands of people are now keenly aware of the repercussions of modding because three or four people got suspended mid-stream? The return on investment on that's been huge.