Twitch confirms massive data breach

roadwarrior

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Twitch confirms massive data breach​

By Joe Tidy & David Molloy
BBC News

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Game-streaming platform Twitch has been the victim of a leak, reportedly divulging confidential company information and streamers' earnings.
More than 100GB of data was posted online on Wednesday.

The documents appear to show Twitch's top streamers each made millions of dollars from the Amazon-owned company in the past two years.
Twitch confirmed the breach and said it was "working with urgency" to understand the extent of it.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the company said it would "update the community as soon as additional information is available".
Fortnite streamer BBG Calc told BBC News: "The earnings list got my figure 100% correct."

Another streamer confirmed to the BBC that their earnings were "accurate" while a third person closely linked to a high profile player said the details were "about right".

Those behind the leak also claimed to have the source code for the video platform itself.

Top earners​

The documents, shared in online forums, appear to show payments made from August or September 2019 to October 2021.
Some versions shared online point to well known streamers, including Dungeons & Dragons channel CriticalRole, Canadian xQC and American Summit1g, as being among the top earners.

Twitch famously fiercely guards operational details such as how much its streamers are paid, so this looks extremely embarrassing for the company.
And it comes at a time when competitors such as YouTube Gaming are offering huge salaries to snap up gaming talent, so the fallout could be significant.

Aside from the salary details, the documents seems to contain the site's source code and even technical details for yet to be released products and platforms.
And evidence is building at least some of the data looks real.

Security experts tell me the files contains things such as internal server details that can be accessed by Twitch employees only.
And if it is all confirmed, it will be the biggest leak I have ever seen - an entire company's most valuable data cleaned out in one fell swoop.
Presentational grey line

But the list of payments, apparently from Twitch itself, is unlikely to include sponsorship deals and other off-platform activities - or account for tax paid on income.

And many, if not all, of these top streamers are effectively large-scale media operations, with their own employees and business expenses - so the numbers do not represent "take-home pay" for those listed, even if genuine.

The documents also reportedly contain a trove of internal Twitch data.
Metadata being posted to internet forums appears to show folders of data named after important software areas, including:
  • "core config packages"
  • "devtools" (developer tools)
  • "infosec" (information security)
The documents also allegedly contain source code for Twitch's website and related services, labelled "part one" - suggesting there may be more unreleased material.

In the earliest known online post linking to the data, the anonymous poster labelled the Twitch community "a disgusting toxic cesspool" and claimed the leak was being posted "to foster more disruption and competition" in video streaming.

In recent months, Twitch has been battling a number of issues on its platform, such as "hate raids" - organised harassment of streamers from minority backgrounds.

And in early September, a boycott titled "a day off Twitch" saw creators effectively strike in protest at the lack of action on hate raids.
The UK's Information Commissioner's Office said it had not been notified of any data breach by Twitch or Amazon.

It's not yet clear how much has been compromised, so if you have a Twitch account, I would highly recommend that you change your password, enable two-factor authentication, and reset your stream key.

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People get paid for playing video games? I never knew that. I don't understand it either. Why would anyone pay someone to play a video game?
 
Getting paid to live-stream games may seem like the best-case scenario. Read on to how much Twitch streamers make how many Affiliates become Partners.



Twitch is online live-streaming platform that focuses on video game live-streams. In fact, dozens of gamers have earned a lot of money streaming video games on Twitch.

Is it a get-rich-quick scheme?

No.

Will you make money doing it?

Maybe. It depends on your following and gaming expertise. It's not as simple as playing games and getting paid.


So how much do Twitch streamers make? Find out below.
DO TWITCH STREAMERS GET PAID FOR VIEWS?
To make money on Twitch, you must first become a Twitch Affiliate. Their Affiliate Program allows you to earn money while streaming. It's also the first step in joining the Twitch Partner program, where your earning potential is even higher.

As an Affiliate, you can earn money with Twitch Bits and Subscriptions, plus selling various merchandise or other products. The requirements to be an Affiliate are:

  1. Minimum 500 total minutes broadcast in the last 30 days
  2. Average of 3+ simultaneous viewers over the last 30 days
  3. Minimum 7 broadcast days in the last 30 days
  4. At least 50 followers

As a Twitch Partner, you'll be able to run ads, which greatly increases your earnings. While it's harder to join, the profits are worthwhile. The top 10 Twitchers gross an estimated $20 million. The requirements to be a Partner are:

  1. Minimum 25 hours broadcast in the last 30 days
  2. Minimum 12 unique broadcast days in the last 30 days
  3. Average of 75 viewers in the last 30 days.
Note: The above criteria for the Twitch Partner Program does not guarantee acceptance into the program. It's only the minimum required for application.

What Can You Expect to Make on Twitch?
The typical "expert" streamer makes between $3,000 and $5,000 per month by playing 40 hours per week.

More average streamers will make roughly $250 in ad revenue per 100 subscribers or $3.50 per 1,000 views. To start earning money on Twitch, you need roughly 500 regular viewers.

HOW MUCH DO SMALL TWITCH STREAMERS MAKE?​


"Small" Twitch streamers usually have 50 - 100 subscribers and can earn around $500 a month. The "real money" comes in when you have enough viewers to make money off ad revenue and subscriptions.

The bigger Twitch streamers get, the more likely they are to have sponsorships, which is where income increases significantly. This is an added income stream on top of ad revenue, subscriptions, donations, and game sales. As you'd expect, the more income streams you have, the more you earn.

Do Twitch streamers pay tax?
Yes, just like any other earned income, Twitch streamers must report it to the IRS. This includes money earned from ads, donations, tips, sponsorships and any other revenue source. Twitch streamers also file as independent contractors, which means they pay the full tax instead of splitting it with an employer.



 
I play an iPhone game and joined a clan in it. I wanted to learn more so I started watching YouTube vids. A few guys were well know. I subscribed to one and joined his Discord channel. Then he started deleting those that would not pay $5/month to subscribe to YouTube channel. So I asked him what his 'real job' was. He posted that YouTube IS his job. So basically, instead of getting up everyday to go to work 5 to 7 days a week, he can get up whenever he wants, go to sleep whenever, and play the video game all day. He complained about how much work it was to play, record and edit his videos, lol. There are morons that will watch his 1 to 2 hour live YouTube vids [instead of playing the game themselves]. Yeah, I refuse to pay for his easy lifestyle. I style play the game, but not as often as I did [like many games, it became pay to win, so screw that too].
 
So the average YouTuber with 100k subscribers can make $12,000 or more per sponsored video. Factors like engagement, type of content, and other revenue streams may also impact your income.Jul 26, 2021

This is full-time job. Between what companies pay him for sponsored content, etc. I would think he would get the facts straight. If it's his bread and butter to support his family + YT content is monetized as well.

Just One More Watch
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Hellooo! I'm sorry, I'm unable to answer Insta messages. For business inquiries only, email [email protected] Thanks, Jody
 
Tough life of recording your opinion, then needing to edit them, oh, and get some free items sometimes. my heart bleeds for them.
 
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