Twitch terminates its entire Safety Advisory Council

Deer Girl and company get the boot.
Woman waving beside Twitch logo on purple background.
Pokimane waving good bye to all the great council members (Image by Spilled)
TL;DR
  • Twitch disbands its Safety Advisory Council, including member "Deer Girl".
  • The council faced criticism and was deemed ineffective by many.
  • This move is part of Twitch's cost-cutting efforts amid financial pressures.

American news channel CNBC revealed this Wednesday that the streaming Platform Twitch will part ways with its Safety Advisory Council on Friday. The termination comes as the streaming platform looks to tighten its belt and streamline operations.

The department was formed to initially provide input on platform policies and community guidelines. The council aimed to bring diverse perspectives to Twitch’s moderation efforts. However, it has quickly become a magnet for criticism by the community.

The main points of criticism are the backgrounds and effectiveness of certain members of the council. It seems like the word has finally reached leadership at Twitch, and they are taking consequences.

Most notable among the council was streamer FerociouslySteph, known as “Deer Girl”, for identifying as a deer. Her eccentric behavior, and comments about male gamers, brought her to the center of criticism by the community. Other members also drew scrutiny, but Steph remained the focal point.

Despite the high-profile nature of the council, there was little evidence of its impact. As reported by CNBC’s Hayden Field, council members were paid between $10,000 and $20,000 per year. Many community members saw it as an expensive PR stunt rather than a genuine effort to improve safety on Twitch.

As Twitch faces increasing financial pressure from its parent company Amazon to cut costs and boost profits, the council became a prime target. Its termination is part of a broader push to make the platform more sustainable by shedding non-essential expenses.

The gaming community has not fully decided whether this is a positive or negative change. Some praised Twitch for cutting loose a failed experiment, while others worry it leaves a vacuum in platform moderation. Twitch has appointed ambassadors to take over some advisory duties, but it remains to be seen if they can drive meaningful change.

The lack of effectiveness has been a pivotal point in the criticism received by the council. In recent months, an increasing amount of incidents surfaced where Twitch moderators penalized streamers inconsistently.

An example of this hypocrisy is the ongoing dispute between Frogan and Tectone. Twitch moderators are called out by many communities for a lack of integrity when banning streamers for their behavior.

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