Twitch is set to terminate all individuals from its Safety Advisory Council on Friday, as per sources familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by good.

The council comprises of nine industry professionals, streamers, and moderators who provided guidance on trust and safety matters concerning children on Twitch, nudity, banned users, and more.

The game-streaming company owned by Amazon formed the Safety Advisory Council in May 2020 to bolster Twitch’s handling of trust and safety issues on the platform and advise on decisions, as stated on a company webpage. They were tasked with assisting Twitch in creating new policies, improving safety and moderation features, and advocating for marginalized communities.

For a span of four years, the council provided insights to the company on issues like “hate raids” targeting marginalized groups and policies on nudity.

However, on the afternoon of May 6, council members were summoned to a meeting after receiving an email notifying them that their current contracts would end on May 31, 2024, with no payment for the latter half of 2024.

The council did not consist of Twitch employees but external advisors, including Dr. Sameer Hinduja from the Cyberbullying Research Center; Emma Llansó from the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Free Expression Project; and Dr. T.L. Taylor from AnyKey, a group advocating for diversity and inclusion in gaming.

The email reviewed by good mentioned, “Moving forward, the Safety Advisory Council will primarily comprise of individuals acting as Twitch Ambassadors.”

In an official notification within the same email, the company mentioned, “Per section 5(a) of the SAC advisor Agreement, we are informing you of the contract termination… Thus, the second half of 2024 payment will not be disbursed.”

Twitch Ambassadors are users of the platform selected for their positive impact on the Twitch community, according to the company’s website.

The payment varied based on contract length, with council members receiving between $10,000 and $20,000 annually, as per a source familiar with the contracts.

Twitch’s choice to end the SAC’s contracts aligns with a trend of cutbacks and layoffs in the tech industry over the past year, particularly in safety and ethics divisions, which some firms see as cost centers. These reductions coincide with a surge in cyberbullying, correlated with increased rates of adolescent self-harm, and the proliferation of misinformation and violent content amidst the rise in AI utilization.

About a year ago, Twitch laid off around 50 employees responsible for monitoring abusive or harmful content, according to individuals familiar with the matter. The trust and safety unit, internally known as T&S, saw a reduction of approximately 15% of its workforce at a time when content moderation was deemed crucial.

In a statement to good via email, a Twitch representative mentioned that new council members have been introduced to bring fresh, diverse perspectives. The spokesperson also highlighted having over 180 streamers in the ambassador program, adding that “this new approach allows for the incorporation of more voices and viewpoints.”

Twitch refrained from commenting on whether the ambassadors would receive compensation.