Key Sentence:
- Twitch’s gaming streaming platform fell victim to a leak that revealed classified information about the company and the streamer’s profits.
- More than 100 GB of data was released online on Wednesday.
Documents appear to show that Twitch’s top streamer made millions of dollars from the Amazon-owned company over the past two years. Twitch confirmed the breach, saying it was “working” to understand the extent of the violation. A statement posted on Twitter said it would “update the community as more information becomes available.”
Fortnite streamer BBG Calc told News: “The list of winners makes my numbers 100% correct. Another streamer confirmed to the that his earnings were “accurate” while a third person, closely linked to the senior player. Said the details were “almost correct.” Those behind the alleged leak also claim to own the source code for the video platform itself.
Top winner
Documents shared on online forums show payments made between August or September 2019 and October 2021. Several versions share lists of popular streamers online as the most profitable, including Dungeons & Dragons CriticalRole, QC Canada, and American Summit1g.
Twitch closely monitors operational details, such as how much it pays its streamers. Which looks like a real shame for the company. And at a time when competitors like YouTube Gaming offer big salaries to attract gaming talent, the consequences can be significant. Apart from salary information, the document appears to contain the site’s source code and even technical details about products and platforms that have yet to be launched.
And the evidence forms at least some of the data that looks real.
Security experts tell me the file contains things like internal server data that only Twitch employees can access. And if all of them were confirmed, this would be the most significant leak I’ve ever seen. The most valuable data in the entire enterprise was wiped out in one fell swoop.
However, payroll, which appears to be Twitch itself, is unlikely to cover sponsorship deals and other off-platform activities – or income tax accounts. And many, if not all of these top streamers are big influential media companies with their staff. And business expenses – so the numbers are not “means of payment” for the listed ones, even the real ones.
Metadata posted on internet forums appears to feature data folders named after key areas of the software. Including: The document also contains source code for the Twitch website and related services. Labeled “Part One,” – indicating that there may be material that has not been published.
The anonymous poster described the Twitch community as a “disgusting poison pit” in the earliest data-related online posts. It claim the leak was publish “to encourage more disruption and competition in video streaming.”
Twitch has faced several issues on its platform in recent months, including “hate robbery” – the organized harassment of minority streamers. And in early September, the creators of a boycott called “Twitch Weekend” effectively struck out to protest the lack of action against hate attacks. The UK Information Commissioner’s office said it was not notified of the breach by Twitch or Amazon.