Twitch has terminated its contract with all of its trust and safety team members as the live streaming platform poses to replace them with its streamers.
According to The Verge, Amazon-backed Twitch will replace the nine industry experts of its Safety Advisory Council with roughly 180 members of its ambassador program.
Among its notable members were Dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, and Emma Llansó, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology's Free Expression Project.
Formed in 2020, the group was responsible for several safety policies on the platform for cyberbullying, harassment, sexual content, and diversity and inclusion in game streaming communities.
Elizabeth Busby, Twitch's trust and safety communications manager, told The Verge that the decision was made to provide the platform and its users with "fresh, diverse perspectives."
Busby did not provide specific names for the over 180 streamers that will replace the current Safety Advisory Council set to vacate their position by May 31.
Twitch Tightens Belt Amid Rising Competition
According to CNBC News, which first reported about the contract termination, paid ethics and safety teams are often among the first to be affected by tech companies cutting costs.
Twitch laid off over 500 staff earlier in January as Amazon conducted massive job cuts across its divisions and subsidiaries.
The company later shut down its platform in South Korea, one of its biggest gaming markets, over a licensing dispute with the country's latest laws.
The cost-cutting measures happen as other game-centric live-streaming platforms have emerged as competitors to the Amazon-backed company.
Related Article : Twitch is Laying Off Over 500 Employees, CEO Confirms
How Will the Change in Safety Advisory Council Affect Twitch?
With the advisory team getting revamped with Twitch's most prominent streamers and personalities, expected changes could be felt soon.
For one, a common gripe among streamers was Twitch's ban system being vulnerable to exploitation as mass reports can instantly ban accounts despite not violating any terms of service.
Another was the so-called "Tags Meta" where streamers add popular tags to their live streams even if it does not contain the specific content, blocking other streamers from popping into people's recommendations.
It is worth noting that Twitch and Amazon still have the final say over the policies that will be implemented into the platform.
