Twitch’s Drop Ins feature unintentionally turned on VTubers’ cameras without their consent, raising privacy concerns. Twitch has apologized and adjusted the feature to prevent future incidents.
Twitch, the popular streaming platform, issued an apology following the unintended activation of webcams through a newly introduced feature called “Drop Ins.” The feature, designed to facilitate easier collaborations among streamers, became a privacy threat to VTubers by enabling their cameras without consent.
The Drop Ins Feature and Its Flaw
Introduced in August 2024, Twitch’s Drop Ins feature was meant to allow streamers to connect and collaborate. The feature functioned by allowing streamers to “knock” on another broadcaster’s channel, requesting a joint session.
However, the initial setup of Drop Ins automatically turned on the webcams of participating streamers, including those of VTubers, who often use online avatars to hide their real identities.
Backlash from the VTuber Community
The response from the VTuber community was understandably critical. Many VTubers took to social media platforms especially X (previously Twitter) to express their outrage, pointing out the oversight in not considering the privacy needs of creators seeking anonymity. Some questioned whether Twitch had included VTubers in their testing process for the new feature.
“Warning for VTubers: Apparently, using this feature, automatically turns on your webcam. What were they thinking???,” commented one user. “The fact that this can just turn on your camera in the first place. Yes, you can go through hoops to turn it off, but this feature may as well be called Doxx. It’s so unsafe and extremely likely to be abused,” another user said.
Twitch’s Apology and Response
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Twitch quickly responded. On August 28, Twitch Support posted an apology on X, stating, “Based on community feedback, Drop Ins now start with your camera disabled even if your camera was previously set up. We apologize to any users, particularly VTubers, who may have had their camera-enabled by accident due to previous functionality.”
Based on community feedback, Drop Ins now start with your camera disabled even if your camera was previously setup 💜
— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) August 28, 2024
We apologise to any users, particularly Vtubers, who may have had their camera enabled by accident due to previous functionality. https://t.co/dxLV0ylpa1
This change means that webcams will remain off by default, even if they were enabled before, thus preventing any accidental face reveals. Despite the apology and the adjustments made to Drop Ins, some streamers have continued to call for more privacy options, including the ability to completely opt-out of the feature.
RELATED TOPICS
- Amazon Ring Vulnerability Could Expose Camera Recordings
- Vietnamese Group Hacks and Sells Bedroom Camera Footage
- Wyze Cameras Glitch: 13K Users Saw Footage from Other Homes
- Flaw authorizes attackers to spy on users through Android camera
- Night Vision Enabled Security Cameras Secretly Transfer Your Data
