As reported by CNBC, Twitch has replaced all nine members of its Safety Advisory Council with Twitch Ambassadors. The company is said to have met with members of the former council on May 6 to tell them all existing contracts would end on May 31.
The former members will not be getting paid for the second half of 2024. This comes just a few months after Twitch CEO Dan Clancy declared that the live-streaming platform is not profitable and cut 35% of staff in the same month.
In an email sent to the members, Twitch reportedly said: “The Safety Advisory Council will primarily be made up of individuals who serve as Twitch Ambassadors.”
The streaming platform didn’t specify who these Ambassadors will be, only describing them as people who “positively contribute to the Twitch community — from being role models for their community, to establishing new content genres, to having inspirational stories that empower those around them.”
In a statement shared with The Verge, Twitch trust and safety communications manager Elizabeth Busby said that the new council members will bring “fresh, diverse perspectives” after four years with the same members.
“We’re excited to work with our global Twitch Ambassadors, all of whom are active on Twitch, know our safety work first hand, and have a range of experiences to pull from,” she continued.
What is … or was the Safety Advisory Council?
The Safety Advisory Council was made up of cyberbullying experts, web researchers and community members, founded in 2020 to help draft new policies, develop safety-focused products, and protect marginalized groups on the platform.
Much of its input remained private, seemingly largely focused on policy and internal operations, rather than external features such as advertisements or moderation.
The Safety Advisory Council’s members included: Dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyber Bullying Research Center; Dr. T.L. Taylor, the co-founder and director of AnyKey, an organization that advocates for inclusion and diversity in video games and esports; and Emma Llansó, the director of the Free Expression Project for the Center for Democracy and Technology.
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