Charity feeds have always been a big part of Twitch. In 2020, the platform’s streamers raised more than $ 83 million for charities such as children’s hospitals and cancer research foundations. Recently a number of Twitch streamers like 100 thieves’ rifles have successfully organized charity flows to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

While many applaud the streamers for their awareness and encouragement to donate, one streamer, TheDanDangler, has come under fire for announcing that she would keep half of all money earned in a charity stream. This has sparked a debate over whether it is ethical for streamers to host charity streams while keeping a percentage of all donations.

TheBoiSantana from FaZe Clan, known for its War zone streams, tweeted his distaste for the practice of streamers who keep a portion of the income from charity streams. Although he did not name TheDanDangler, his response to his tweet and the debate that followed indicate that she was, in fact, the subject of the original tweet.

TheBoiSantana tweeted yesterday that he watched a streamer raise funds for breast cancer awareness. But because they kept half the income, it disgusted him. TheDanDangler responded, pointing out that she donated half of her winnings to charity and made her plans public during the broadcast.

But for many in the Twitch community, TheDanDangler’s charity stream was unethical. TheBoiSantana claimed that she “used an illness to get more people to donate and won 50%.” A Twitter used agreed, writing, “If you do a charity stream you will get considerably more donations than average, I think that is lousy and a way to make money.”

Twitch partner and variety streamer Froste agreed with TheBoiSantana. “Unless she put it in the headline, donation panel, and donation page, it’s 100% lousy. Frost said. “Just mentioning it in streaming every now and then is not enough, as most people see a charity stream in the title and assume all donations go to charity.”

While some believe taking a portion of the income from charity is unethical, even when it is disclosed, others have defended TheDanDangler for his actions. The owner of Call of Duty statistics site Argued TrueGameData this is ethical because she has disclosed her intentions and donors are adhering to TheDanDangler policy in choosing to donate to her charity stream. They also argued that a Twitch streamer has living overhead just like a charity, so it is not unethical for said streamer to take a percentage.

This isn’t the first time the Twitch community has been concerned about charity streams. Last year, xQc claimed that “most charities” pay streamers to stream. Dr Lupo and Ninja’s wife and manager Jessica Blevins retaliated, arguing that the practice is not something they do and that if they did, they should disclose it for legal reasons.