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New Twitch policy bans the word ‘Zionist’ amid accusations of anti-Semitism
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New Twitch policy bans the word ‘Zionist’ amid accusations of anti-Semitism

On November 15, 2024, Twitch released an update to its Hateful Conduct policy, making specific changes around the use of the word “Zionist” on its platform.

Twitch’s blog post makes it clear that the world itself is not banned, but consequences will be enforced if the term is used in a hateful or intimidating manner.

“As of today, using the term ‘Zionist’ to attack or demean another individual or group of people based on their background or religious beliefs is against our rules,” the message reads.

“Using the term to refer to the political movement, whether in a supportive or critical manner, does not violate our Hateful Conduct policy,” the site continues, stating that the site “increases the conversation about or does not want to suppress criticism of an institution or ideology. , but to prevent coded hatred directed against individuals and groups of people.”

This latest update follows accusations of anti-Semitism against the platform after it was discovered that users in Israel and Palestine were unable to create Twitch accounts.

The platform called the matter an “unacceptable lapse” that it “deeply regrets” because it “accidentally” never re-enabled email verification in both regions.

Twitch CEO Dan Clancy also issued a statement on the discussion, saying the company “stands firmly against hate and harassment in any form.”

“There is no place on Twitch for racism, hatred or harassment of any kind, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia,” he continued. “…Twitch has always been and always will be about belonging.

“Every day, people come together at our service to build communities around shared interests and express themselves authentically. To make this possible, we work hard to ensure our community is a safe place.”

Reactions to Twitch’s latest Hateful Conduct update were negative, with some users calling for the company to fire Clancy.

The Anti-Defamation League, a non-governmental organization dedicated to combating anti-Semitism, also responded to the change.

In a series of tweets, the ADL “praised” Twitch for the update, but remains skeptical, saying the platform “still has a long way to go.”

This update comes in the wake of several high-profile streamers claiming they were demonetized on the platform for adding content tags representing their race and country of origin, sparking further backlash against the site.