Twitch unveils new Privacy Center to raise awareness of data privacy

American live streaming service, Twitch, has unveiled its new Privacy Center in a bid to improve data privacy awareness among users.  

In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Twitch said that the standalone page is “designed to go beyond surface level transparency” to give users “usable, accessible information about their privacy rights” and “provide actionable information about Twitch’s data use”.  

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According to Twitch, the initiative was launched in response to findings that Twitch users did not have a good awareness of their privacy and data rights. It found that steamers and creators alike did not remember setting privacy preferences, despite knowing that Twitch had prompted them to do so. Many also did not remember the settings they picked nor how they could check their selections. 

Moreover, users generally “didn’t know how personal data was defined – by Twitch, but also, across the internet ecosystem more broadly”. “Users didn’t have a good sense of how their data was being used on Twitch,” it added. As such, Twitch sought to address these pain points through a “privacy hub that provided meaningful, actionable information and controls” based on these findings.

Within the Privacy Center, a “Privacy, Explained” tab breaks down how data is collected and used. This includes information on how user, cookie and third-party data might be handled and used. By differentiating general definitions applicable across the internet from in-depth info about Twitch-specific uses, Twitch sought to extend the educational benefits of the Privacy Center beyond the platform.  

It even includes data opt-out tools such as the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page and the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page. Furthermore, it also outlines data controls under “Privacy Controls” to make it easier for people to keep track of their data choices and modify them where necessary.  

“We think that privacy information has to be understandable, otherwise it isn’t really useful,” the statement read. It added that information needs to be shared clearly and accessibly in order to be valuable and actionable to end-users.  

“We weren't looking to create more work for our community or provide a complex web to sift through under the guise of ‘transparency.’ So, we did a lot of work to get rid of the legalese and corporate speak,” it explained.  

The platform also highlighted its privacy principles that guide its efforts to foster trust among its community. These included transparency, control, choice, and privacy-by-design, which work in tandem to safeguard users’ privacy rights. 

This comes as privacy increasingly becomes a topic of concern across digital social platforms. A report by IDM found that the average total cost of a data breach reached an all-time high of US$4.45 million in 2023. This was based on a study of 553 organisations across 16 countries and 17 industries that had been impacted by data breaches between March 2022 and March 2023. This marked a 2.3% increase from the 2022 cost of US$4.35 million.  

In an example closer to home, Marina Bay Sands’ (MBS) Sands LifeStyle rewards programme experienced a data security breach in October 2023, impacting approximately 665,000 non-casino rewards programme members.  

Personal data that might have been affected included names, email addresses, phone numbers, countries of residence, and Sands LifeStyle membership numbers and tiers.  

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