Online streaming platform Twitch branding seen at the Tokyo Game Show 2023. (Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

(JTA) — A livestreaming platform popular among video gamers updated its hate speech policy Friday to ban the word “Zionist” when used as a coded slur directed at individuals or groups of people.

The move by Twitch, an Amazon-owned platform with more than 240 million active users, comes after increased scrutiny, including from a prominent lawmaker who recently sent company executives a letter in which he alleged that the platform “emboldens” antisemitism.

In an announcement posted to its official blog Friday, the company explained, “We prohibit the use of terms that may not be harmful or abusive in isolation, but can be used as a slur or to denigrate others in certain contexts.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Under the policy, it’s permissible to say “Zionist” when commenting on the ideology or political movement that led to the founding of Israel but not to denigrate Jews or Israelis.

“Using the term to refer to the political movement, whether in a supportive or critical way, does not violate our hateful conduct policy,” Twitch wrote in the blog post. “Our goal isn’t to stifle conversation about or criticism of an institution or ideology, but to prevent coded hate directed at individuals and groups of people.”

The platform’s community guidelines page was updated to explain further how the policy works: “We treat ‘Zionists’ as a proxy for Jews or Israelis if the word is used in a context to promote harm or violence, or when used to make dehumanizing comparisons or perpetuate antisemitic stereotypes.”

It offers examples of allowed and prohibited uses of the word. “Zionist settlers keep encroaching Palestinian borders” would be allowed, but “Zionist [name of animal]” would not be, the company said.

Earlier this month, Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York, who is known as one of the most vocal pro-Israel advocates in the Democratic party, called on Twitch to rein what he characterized as rampant antisemitism on the platform or face potential Congressional scrutiny. Torres highlighted recent statements by major Twitch streamers connected to the Israel-Hamas war.

For example, Torres pointed out that Hasan Piker, a streamer with nearly 3 million followers, has downplayed or denied the significance of sexual violence by Hamas during the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. Piker has also said Orthodox Jews are “inbred” and called a Jewish person a “bloodthirsty pig dog.”

The Anti-Defamation League last month also called on Twitch to do more to combat antisemitism on the platform.

Twitch’s decision to restrict certain users of the word “Zionist” follows a similar policy change made in July by Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram.

The revision to Twitch’s guidelines follows the company’s apology last month for leaving in place a signup hurdle that some Israelis said was keeping them from using the platform. The company said it had implemented a safeguard to prevent violent content from being shared after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and had not removed it, making it harder for Israelis to sign up.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount