Twitch confirms massive data breach

  • The game-streaming platform Twitch has been the victim of a leak containing confidential company information and streamers’ earnings.
  • The leak contained more than 100GB of data that was posted online yesterday.
  • An anonymous user on a 4chan messaging board released a 125GB torrent containing the leaked information.
  • Some documents detail the earnings of Twitch’s top streamers for the past two years, but these don’t include direct donations or revenues from merchandise, sponsorships, or YouTube revenue.
  • The top earners list has been criticised for lack of diversity and serves to highlight the gap between the high earners and marginalised Twitch creators subject to so called ‘hate raids.’
  • Other leaked information includes the source code for the desktop, mobile and console versions of Twitch.
  • Full story, here.

 

Snapchat adds ‘challenges’ with cash prizes

  • Snapchat is launching a feature called Spotlight Challenges inside the app’s Spotlight feature.
  • Spotlight Challenges will reward a handful of creators each week for making videos using specific Lenses, doing certain activities, or playing a chosen sound.
  • Around three to five creators will be awarded cash for each challenge, with the winners being chosen from among the most-viewed eligible videos.
  • The payments can range from $1k to $25k with a minimum payment of $250.
  • The feature aims to incentivise users to make videos for Spotlight, boost certain trends and hopefully drive traffic from TikTok.
  • Challenges have been launched in the US with more markets to follow.
  • Full story, here.

Cyberbullying among teens often linked to school bullying

  • Research in the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling showed that 37% of participants reported they had experienced cyberbullying.
  • The research included 408 people aged 16-30, most respondents (90%) were still at school.
  • The victims of cyberbullying identified the perpetrators as their classmates, followed by students who were perceived as popular, older children and then strangers.
  • Victimisation took place on various platforms, mostly on Facebook (74%), followed by Twitter (17%), Snapchat (9%) and Instagram (9%).
  • The most common types of cyberbullying were spreading malicious rumours (49%), threats (44%) and exclusion from online group activities (29%).
  • Research has shown that cyberbullying can occur alongside verbal aggression and violent behaviour.
  • Full story, here.

‘Eco-anxiety’ weighs on young people’s mental health

  • An article in the British Medical Journal highlights the growing toll on the mental health of children and young people due to the climate crisis.
  • Although not considered a diagnosable condition, recognition of ‘eco-anxiety’ and its complex psychological effects is increasing.
  • A child psychiatrist survey in 2020 from England that shows that more than half (57%) are seeing children and young people distressed about the climate crisis.
  • A recent international survey showed that young people aged 16 to 25 are “profoundly affected”.
  • Full story, here.