Once again, Twitch has made a bold and public statement saying that they really do care about the safety of their community. After promising us "consistency" regarding moderation last year, something many feel they are still waiting for, this new initiative is said to have been set up to improve the Twitch experience for both players and streamers.
In a blog post on Twitch's website, they announce the formation of a Twitch Safety Advisory Council. For those who are as confused as we are about what this means, the blog goes on to explain the aims of the council.
According to Twitch, their role is said to involve helping with drafting or updating Twitch policies, improving safety and moderation, promoting healthy streaming habits, and protecting minorities. They will also be "identifying emerging trends that could impact the Twitch experience," but if we're honest, we're not entirely sure what that one entails.
The eight-person council is a mix of members of some prominent organizations as well as notable Twitch Streamers, being split 50:50 between these two areas. It includes Alex Holmes, the founder of support program Anti-Bullying Ambassadors and Emma Llansó, who leads CDT's work promoting policies and laws that protect free expression rights. The list also names Dr. Sameer Hinduja, Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and T.L.Taylor, co-founder of AnyKey, an organization that supports inclusive esports.
In terms of Twitch Streamers, these include CohhCarnage, a long-standing variety streamer, and Cupahnoodle, a partnered Twitch Ambassador who conducts interviews and esports commentary alongside gaming. You can also find FerociouslySteph, one of the first transgender streamers to be partnered on the platform, and Zizaran, another Twitch Partner who mostly streams ARPGs.
In theory, the initiative sounds promising as Twitch has come under fire in recent years for toxicity problems on the platform. One of the biggest issues is a lack of consistency when handing out sanctions for rule-breaking; something that recently led streamer Alinity to voluntarily ban herself after an accidental nudity infraction. However, past promises by Twitch to address these issues, as well as others involving targetted mass reports being used to take down small channels, haven't always been successful.
Our hope is that with a team comprised of prominent people who work to promote online safety and inclusivity, alongside Streamers themselves, who know what the platform is like to work on, this initiative will help streamers and viewers alike feel safer on Twitch so we can all better enjoy live-streaming content.