Twitch removes Fedmyster’s simp emote for bullying
Instagram: fedmysterTwitch has removed one of Federico ‘Fedmyster’ Gaytan’s most popular emotes, saying that his ‘simp’ emote is used for targeted harassment and bullying.
All Twitch partners and affiliates get access to personalized, unique emotes, meaning they can create a more personal environment for their viewers and subscribers to share how they’re feeling or express a variety of emotions.
These are most commonly used simply for memes or a bit of fun, but Twitch has strict guidelines in regards to emotes that are not allowed, and it seems they’ve found one of Fed’s to not fall within their community guidelines.
Instagram: fedmysterIt quickly became clear during Fedmyster’s May 6 stream that the ‘fedSIMP’ emote was unavailable, with no results when typing it in his chat, and he decided to be transparent with his viewers about what was going on.
“FedSimp was removed from my emotes for targeted harassment and bullying” he revealed, clearly disappointed by the streaming platform’s decision.
“Very unfortunate, one of my favorite emotes,” he continued. “My community never used it with ill intent, it was mostly banter and, in some cases, a compliment. Really unfortunate.”
His viewers at the time clearly weren’t happy, as “fedSIMP” was spammed throughout the chat with everyone checking to see whether it was really gone.
In Twitch’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines, it says that examples of content prohibited from use in emotes include “harassment, such as targeted insults, bullying, and threatening or inciting abuse.”
Twitch appears to believe that the emote, specifically the term ‘simp’, falls into the harassment category, though it’s not clear why they have come to that conclusion now. Especially, if as Fed says, the emote is never actually used in a harassing or bullying way. It remains to be seen whether the verdict can or will be reversed.