As part of a crackdown on ‘sexually oriented terms’ on its platform, Twitch says terms like ‘simp’, ‘incel’ and ‘virgin’ will soon be banned when used as insults by streamers or chatters on the hit game streaming service.
In a live stream presentation at City Hall, Sara Clemens, COO of Twitch, said the terms would be specifically excluded when used in a context that “ negatively refers[s] to someone else’s sexual activity. Twitch later clarified in a statement that “using these terms alone would not lead to enforcement [action], but we would take action if they were used repeatedly in an intimidating way. “
That largely mirrors Twitch’s existing policy against hateful insults, which are generally ruled out, but can be used “in an empowering way or as endearing terms when such intent is clear.” Contextual enforcement of policies on these words can be important as many streamers identify themselves as virgins or incels, for example. The term simp (in re: “Someone who does way too much for a person they like”), meanwhile, is often used as a general trash can rather than with a specific sexual connotation.
Clemens also pointed out that Twitch will “proactively deny emotes that contain the term ‘simp’. ‘And we will remove them when reported, and we will continue to do so as soon as the policy changes.’ will be banned, the company said in a statement, “because they can be used on Twitch, so we are taking more proactive measures to minimize the potential for harm.”
Tightening of the guidelines
The recently banned terms are part of a broader extension of Twitch’s general hateful conduct and harassment policy, effective January 22. The enforcement of that policy is highly dependent on the context and the impact of the rulings in question; Twitch says its security team will “review the content of any statements or actions to determine if a conduct is offensive and violates our guidelines, rather than relying solely on perceived intentions.”
With regard to sexual harassment: the new policy “[adopt] much lower tolerance for objectification or intimidating behavior, “as Twitch puts it. The new guidelines prohibit explicitly repeated comments about” someone’s perceived attractiveness “(positive or negative); lewd or explicit comments regarding sexuality or appearance (including public figures) and “unwanted / unsolicited links to nude photos or videos.”
The new guidelines also include stricter definitions of “hateful content” and now exclude comments on caste, color and immigration status (in addition to previously protected identity-based characteristics such as race, ethnicity and sexual orientation). Black / brown / yellow / red face will be excluded, except when used “in an explicitly educational context”, and the display of the Confederate flag will also be banned “given its historical and symbolic association with slavery and white supremacist groups. The United States”.
Earlier this year, Twitch faced calls for a one-day “blackout” boycott amid allegations of harassment by a number of prominent streamers and Twitch partners.
Twitch has had an inconsistent history of responding to reports of problematic behavior from some of its partners. Last year, the company severed ties with Thomas “Elvine” Cheung after he was arrested for a stab of child sex trafficking. But Australian streamer Luke “MrDeadMoth” Munday was initially only given a temporary ban from the platform after he was arrested for assault in an attack captured on stream. Twitch later made that ban permanent after community protests.
And last year, popular streamer Guy “DrDisrespect” Beahm got a two-week suspension from Twitch after being kicked out of the E3 gaming convention for filming a Twitch stream in a public bathroom.
In May, Twitch publicly rolled out a security advisory board dedicated to creating new policies and features to “enhance security and moderation” and “protect the interests of marginalized groups” on the platform. The group is made up of “online safety experts and Twitch creators who have a deep understanding of Twitch, its content and the community,” as Twitch puts it.