Twitch is updating the Terms of Service for its streaming website again, this time expanding on the previous promise to ban things like blackface, confederate flags, and more to include words like “Virgin,” “Simp,” and “Incel” as well. The new anti-harassment TOS will encompass more, and take a closer look at reports, Twitch says.
Twitch has had a long year of controversy and it looks like it is trying to update the rules in order to change that. These new regulations are more clear and have been greatly expanded upon. But the new rules also push Twitch employees to look into each case, rather than ban users on “perceived intent,” as the new TOS rules state.
These new rules for Twitch.tv will be effective January 22, 2021 at 9:59am PST. It will update the current policy, removing a lot of the “hateful conduct” that has long slipped under the radar, such as unwanted sexual language, racial slurs, and anything that insults a person based on color, creed, race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, etc, now including terms used to insult a person’s sexual history. These terms include, but aren’t limited to words like “incel” and “virgin” as an insult.
“Incel” is a term usually reserved for young men, short for involuntary celibate, and has recently been adopted by several anti-woman groups to describe themselves. However, implying that someone is an “incel” as an insult on Twitch isn’t currently a bannable offense. And in the new Twitch TOS, each case of using the word (and many others) will no longer be handled with the old “zero tolerance” policy. Instead, some of these terms can be utilized “in an empowering way or as terms of endearment when such intent is clear.”
“We will take action against the use of terms like ‘simp,’ ‘incel,’ or ‘virgin’ specifically when they are being used to negatively refer to another person’s sexual practices,” a Twitch Rep said. “Using these terms on their own wouldn’t lead to an enforcement.”
While this kind of move might seem like a step back for some, the more case-by-case basis of bans should make everything a little easier for those who mistakenly get tangled up in the bans of the old, zero-tolerance Twitch. The new guidelines will also allow streamers to report abuses that they face just for putting their face on camera. This is good news for everyone with wholesome intentions on Twitch; it is mainly a platform to play video games and raise money for charity which is why Twitch has partnered with Tiltify.
The new TOS, along with other changes like Twitch removing the tag “Blind Playthrough” on the site will help to build a better, healthier, and more inclusive community on the streaming site.
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