Are both privacy and preservation possible?
Let's talk about whether or not we can preserve the privacy of creators and users while also preserving the things we enjoy.
Hi there, StreamThreats reader
Many of us enjoy watching movies from the past. I myself am a fan of films like Star Wars Episode 3, Totoro, and Die Hard. All of these have had decades between their release and the current day. Because of their popularity, we can say with a degree of certainty that they will be preserved for future generations to enjoy as well.
What about livestreams?
Livestream/Content Preservation
As things like Twitch and YouTube grow in popularity, many build memories and bond over old streams, clips, and videos. In the early 2010s, it was extremely common for young people to watch a viral video and discuss it at school the following day. But as time passes, accounts and videos are deleted, creators retire, copyright claims occur, people rebrand, etc.
In addition, even if videos are still available, in the era of saturation and AI-generated media, it may be much harder to find the old comfort videos you used to watch.
This has created an environment where some feel that they should download, save, and archive whatever possible. This is logical, being that if you enjoy something, you don't want it to disappear one day (something that is inevitable for a lot of content on the internet). There are quite a few websites where people post old streams and videos of creators or enable downloading of old streams and videos, whether for safekeeping or because they were deleted. I will not link them here because the legality of these sites is questionable at best.
I understand the line of thinking and even sympathize. But this is a legitimate ethical question.
Should I help preserve something that the creator wants to no longer exist? What about their privacy?
As a fan, I never want to lose the ability to rewatch things I like, but as a researcher, this presents a very clear issue. There are quite a few reasons that I can imagine someone would want a video deleted. Off the top of my head:
- Safety Concerns
- Legal Issues
- Lifestyle Changes
- Shift in Priorities
- Changes in morals/viewpoints
All of these are valid reasons and, ideally, should be respected. Who am I to violate someone's desire to become a more private person or reduce the amount of themselves that they show to the world?
Is Preservation Possible While Respecting Privacy?
To answer the above question... at the current moment, I think this would be very difficult. This is even more true when you consider the lifestyles of vloggers and IRL streamers. They share so much of their lives with the world that to preserve their content means to prolong that sharing of their life with the world.
Hypothetically speaking, if ExtraEmily had the desire to remove all content that featured her family members, for example, one could upload VODs (stream recordings) of her streams while editing out all personally identifiable information relating to her family. But this would be a lot to ask of someone who is doing a quick and dirty download and post of a funny video.
I don't think most people would do this. If we think technologically, perhaps there could be a privacy-aware AI on platforms like Twitch and YouTube that could prompt users to edit out certain segments of VODs before they are posted. Even if someone had recorded the stream, those who access and subsequently download the VOD would not have access to any personally identifiable information. At the very least, this would increase the difficulty for those with malicious intent.
But this would only be relevant if their concern was centered around leaking information.
And this is a still very, very ambitious idea.
For those who don't leak any information, for example, but have the desire to reduce their internet presence after becoming popular, I'm not sure what the solution is. It is likely a viral video will follow you forever, if popular enough.
Overall Thoughts
As someone who has a passion for media preservation and media in general, I think that preservation is important, but there needs to be a balance between privacy and preservation.
I have seen many people, some very popular, delete their accounts, retire, and one even became a monk.
I think we should respect this for the most part. It is hard to delete things from the internet permanently, but I think there should be tools that allow us to make this reality a bit less true.
But that's just what I'm thinking as of 11/1/2025.
Anywho, enjoy your stay at StreamThreats.
– Nate