Safety vs Security at TwitchCon  10, Emiru, and Kanary Streamer Collabs

Team Kanary had an action‑packed four days in San Diego for TwitchCon 10. If you’re a streamer or fan, there’s a little something for everyone there. Thousands of potential new friends to meet, games to play, and energy drinks to consume. At least, that’s what Twitch wants you to think.

Don’t get us wrong, we had a great time working with BuffBarbarianBabe on the conference floor, meeting hundreds of streamers through meetups, events, and the block party. But if you stood still and looked around, you saw security guards at every door, police dogs pacing every hall, and wristband rules restricting almost every entrance. So after this display of security, everyone is asking, why did so many streamers, especially minorities, have safety issues at TwitchCon 10?

While we were on the con floor Friday, a top‑10 female streamer, Emiru, was assaulted by a fan about 100 feet away from us. The Twitch security team allowed this man to bypass a long line for a meet and greet, walk right up to Emiru, and grab her face to try to hug and kiss her. Finally Emiru’s private security stepped in and escorted her to safety. But the man was allowed to leave the area, and stay in the conference space before finally being asked to leave. Emiru followed up with a post describing the situation and her reaction. The immediate response from Dan Clancy, Twitch’s CEO, was offensively dismissive, blaming Emiru for not moderating her own community. But recent weeks, it looks like Twitch is realizing that allowing their largest streamers to get stalked off their platform is not good for business, and are talking about taking action for next year.

In an environment where even the top streamers, making millions a year, can be surrounded by security but still be so unsafe, many streamers were wondering what hope they had of protecting themselves from stalking, doxxing, or account takeovers. Was it pointless to even try? We listened to their stories and worked together to share tools and tips for controlling your online presence and fighting back faster.

The TLDR

• Check out this insider’s guide to streamer security by Mayhem Mermaid, leader of the Latin Guild.

• Twitch settings are your friend, set up Auto Mod. You can’t be Twitch Partner without it.

• Event security does not guarantee creator safety. Stay alert.

• Consider VTubing. Face streaming is popular but we spoke to several face streamers who are now VTubing after having stalkers follow them around IRL.

• Work with your mods or DIY to set up open‑source tools like CommanderRoot and Sery_Bot to protect against hate raids and level up Twitch’s built-in security settings.

• Check out a Unity Guild like the Latin Guild, Black Guild, Pride Guild, or Women’s Guild.

• Best defense is a strong offense. Know your rights and reach out proactively to law enforcement.

• Check out Team Kanary’s privacy stack recommendations for trusted VPNs, password managers, and other tools we’ve tested over the last 10 years.

• Missed us at the con? Meet our community, join giveaways, and beta testing on our Discord.

Unhinged Fan Experiences as Cautionary Tales

We launched a new anti-doxxing Twitch integration on the floor at the con. Streamers worked with Kanary to share their most unhinged experience with a chatter, lurker, or fan in their livestream chat. Katliente, who has a 500K+ TikTok following focused on sharing advice for rising streamers, highlighted an unnerving experience that made her reassess her safety as a public-facing creator. She wants to help protect others who are facing similar harassment.

Kat’s main piece of advice is to avoid the “I will never get a stalker, no one’s going to stalk me…I’m not worth stalking”mindset as it’s the first step to putting yourself at risk. Instead, she shares tactical physical safety advice. When used alongside moderation tools (see the Mod Management section below), and Kanary’s integration for auto-blocking doxxing, will create a safer livestream for you and your viewers.

The Guilds as Guides

One of the big takeaways from TwitchCon is the power of Unity Guilds**.** They are not just marketing networks, they are safety nets, knowledge hubs, and consultant ecosystems. We sat down with Mayhem Mermaid, the Latin Guild leader to talk about the steps she’s taken to stay safe while growing her stream. Check out her incognito creator guide, where she highlights Kanary’s collab!

Your Stream is Your Business

We also met with AshSaidHi, the leader of the Twitch Women’s Guild, who emphasized the importance of protecting your stream like you’d protect your business. She shared tips on registering for an LLC or Corporation which can help you save money on setting up your stream and buying the equipment you need. If you register your business in a privacy-friendly state like Delaware, you need to pay a registered agent to file, but you also get the added benefit of no one being able to look up your address from your business records. NEVER user your home address to register your business, since in many states, these records are not only public, but sold by the government to data brokers and other marketing companies as a revenue source.

We also heard unhinged stories from Primroze and Katliente, both creators dedicated to helping others learn the tools of the trade, grow, and have fun safely! As a follow up to TwitchCon, Kanary is working on hosting digital training safety chats with the guilds in partnership with BuffBarbarianBabe. Keep an eye out for these ongoing trainings and discussions to join or reach out to bring our support into your community.

VTuber Avatars And Privacy IRL

We spoke with several VTubers at TwitchCon because we were curious to learn their approach to privacy and security. These are real people, but they avoid sharing their face with the world by creating or commissioning avatars. This group was extremely sensitive about revealing any personal information. And at Team Kanary, we think this is a super effective way to try our streaming without having to worry about your work, family, or friends getting involved. Shout out to Pillow Dear for chatting with us about their commitment to their character and the world they build for their fans. The VTuber Research Club robots allowed them to wheel around the conference and do an IRL interview with us! One VTuber explained the feeling of being behind an Avatar as the Hannah Montana effect. It seems like VTubers are able to get the best of both worlds.

Mod Management

Almost every panel we went to or conversation we had brought up moderation. Many streamers were talking about their strategies for DIY modding, finding mods they could trust, and knowing when to treat mods like employees instead of volunteers. WatchHolly spoke on a panel about going on vibes and not overly formalizing the process. Unlike hiring an employee, mods often start as volunteers and should be genuinely be interested in your stream and community. If you do notice them taking on consistent hours, complex technical work, or collabs with brands, you should consider paying them. Twitch offers some guidance too on ways to make the process a bit more manageable using free tools like Google forms.

We also want to shout out open source tools like CommanderRoot and Sery_Bot. These are Twitch bots that you can use across your chat, stream, and even Discord to automatically block hate raids, set up ban lists, and automate other tedious tasks across your stack. They require some technical ability but if you feel stuck looking at how to set up this integration, just join our Discord and we’ll help out.

If you do start paying your mods, you should set up a company to protect yourself, your content, and your business. See the section above about setting up an company and the privacy benefits that come with it if you do it right. Turning a fun community into a more professional effort can be hard, and some mods or fans might not like the change. It’s up to you to enforce the standards of your community, which can be hard to do when you feel like you’re just getting started. Mods are a critical part of your team as you grow. Shout out to all mods!

Law Enforcement Myths and Realities

There was plenty of law enforcement and private security present at TwitchCon 10. Their presence was impossible to ignore. Many stories surfaced on social media after the conference highlighting harassment by IRL streamers, physical altercations that were allowed to escalate on the conference floor, and people being inappropriately followed at the block party with security standing by. It’s easy to feel outrage, but we have to remember that when law enforcement and security does a good job, there often isn’t a story. A proactive intervention prevents something from becoming a story. Car crashes draw more attention than seatbelts.

We want to shout out kuriosityki11s for meeting with us. She’s a former cop and an active streamer. When kuriosity faced stalking and harassment from a community member, she knew exactly what to do and how to work with enforcement. Many people aren’t taken seriously when they go to the police with an online threat because they can’t identify the person. But kuriosity was able to get the information she needed, show proof to enforcement, and get a warrant for the arrest of someone who was stalking and harassing her. How law enforcement handles these types of threats varies from county to county. So, if you’re struggling with your local police or an escalating situation, check out kuriosity’s story. She also was emphasizing the important of protecting your privacy through tools like Kanary. Many fans are simply curious, so drawing firm boundaries early can prevent issues from escalating and make it clear you’re not an easy victim.

Where Streamers Go From Here

We have no doubt TwitchCon 11 will find a better balance between security and safety. And this conference will serve as an example for other large events in the gaming, streaming, and creator ecosystem. Team Kanary is partnering with and learning from all of our members. Fighting back can be faster and easier with the right community and tools. For the full collabs and more privacy tips and tricks, follow Kanary. And if you need an extra nudge, download Kanary for free on iOS or Android.