Twitch testing peer-to-peer technology in Korea despite potential privacy concerns Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Approve Reject & ban Delete Logout

Twitch testing peer-to-peer technology for source quality streams in Korea despite potential privacy concerns

Twitch is testing peer-to-peer technology on 1080p streams in Korea despite privacy concerns (Image via Twitter) On July 29, began testing peer-to-peer (P2P) technology as a method for delivering source quality streams in South Korea. The Amazon-owned streaming platform cited an increase in the cost of its operations in Korea as the reason for this change. The change to P2P will only affect source quality streams, meaning Korean viewers will have to opt in to it in order to watch videos in 1080p on Twitch. This technology uses computing power from viewers' devices to provide a Full HD (High-Definition) quality viewing experience.

Drawbacks of Twitch s P2P technology

There are expected to be drawbacks with P2P. Aside from increased latency issues, there are potential privacy issues as well since P2P will require the IP addresses of all participants to be made available to each other, which could increase the risk of cyberattacks. In its FAQ, the streaming platform suggested that viewers with privacy concerns should switch to watching in 720p, saying: "It may be possible for a highly motivated and technically proficient person to discover participants’ IP addresses, which could potentially be used to approximate location. Viewers who have privacy concerns with P2P can watch streams in 720p to avoid any IP sharing risk." Twitch is testing P2P Video in Korea.

- Viewers watching in 1080p will share the video content with each other P2P.

- To avoid privacy concerns, watching in 720p or less quality will avoid IP sharing risk.



Twitch is testing P2P Video in Korea.- Viewers watching in 1080p will share the video content with each other P2P.- To avoid privacy concerns, watching in 720p or less quality will avoid IP sharing risk.

Twitch testing peer-to-peer technology in Korea

Twitch decided to move forward with testing P2P technology for Full HD video streaming in South Korea and rolled out the test with on July 29. The solution to rising expenses of the operations in the country was proposed as a compromise between cutting costs and providing Korean viewers with the same HD stream quality they have been receiving. It was also stated that this approach is unique to the Korean market: "Due to the unique and associated rising costs of operating in Korea, we must work with the community to find a solution that enables us to continue to operate and still deliver the best experience for the community." The decision to switch to P2P has been criticized, and critics have pointed out that this move is essentially sacrificing user experience and privacy to save the platform money. Literally described as a cost-cutting measure in the FAQ.Literally described as a cost-cutting measure in the FAQ. While viewing content in high quality is a satisfying experience, most people likely wouldn't jeopardize their privacy for it. It remains to be seen if these changes will are permanently. Read about your favorite creators only on & Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Thank You! Show More Comments No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Logout No Results Found