Cover-Credits:
On 1st February, Twitch streamer Brandon “Atrioc” Ewing issued an apology, stating that he will be stepping away from content creation and that he will be bearing the financial and legal costs of taking down “unwanted content from the web” after the controversy of him allegedly subscribing to a not-safe-for-work (NSFW) website of deepfakes of fellow streamers went viral. While the streaming community condemned his actions, Atrioc said it was not a pattern of behavior. After a gap of almost six weeks, on 14th March Atrioc returned to Twitch to talk about his efforts of taking down deepfakes from the internet.
While the actual stream was marred by tech issues, Atrioc gave a summary of his time off from content creation and detailed his efforts to combat the issue of deepfakes.
Atrioc recaps his time off
As Atrioc went live on Twitch, he told his viewers that he saw the need to update people about the actions he has been taking to bring down the NSFW deepfake content of streamers on the internet. “I have been working with a variety of people, reporters, technologists, researchers, women affected, Twitch themselves,” said Atrioc.
In his update, Atrioc claimed that he gave “about $60,000 USD” to Morrison Rothman, the law firm helping QTCinderella (aka Blaire) and other streamers to take down the deepfakes from the internet. The streamer noted that the money was for any woman on Twitch who wanted to use the firm’s “legal services for DMCS takedowns or reputation management.” Atrioc noted that his connection with the law firm enabled him to ask questions and learn more about the process of DMCA takedowns.
Atrioc then stated that around the same time (a week after the initial deepfake incident) that he had a direct message from a fan named Genevieve Oh, a “leading researcher in the fight against deepfakes.” He said she has worked with big publications including the New York Times, BBC, and Washington Post on stories covering online predation and deepfakes. According to Atrioc, she believed his apology and wanted to help him with the process of taking down deepfakes online.
Atrioc revealed that Oh sent him a 25-page document detailing the rise of deepfakes over the years. He admitted that reading through it made him realize how serious the issue at hand was. He added that deepfakes have been existing since 2017 and each year, they have gotten more prolific and worse.
Atrioc is working on DMCA takedowns
While the deepfake issue is deeply rooted, Atrioc said that he focused on things that he felt like he or the people around him could control. He said he realized that OnlyFans creators have been fighting deepfakes way better due to how their financial incentives and business practice works. “Finding a way for them to stop unlicensed leaks or deepfakes is a small expense for them and directly helps their business,” Atrioc added.
Shortly thereafter, Atrioc came into contact with Dan Purcell, CEO and founder of Ceartas, a company that helps creators combat deepfakes. Interestingly, Ceartas is OnlyFans’ number one safety partner. However, he noted that running this on Twitch would require streamers and creators to work with him. He further explained how there is a lack of streamers who want to help improve the algorithm.
Atrioc then revealed that Maya Higa was one of the first ones to agree to help Atrioc and Ceartas run the algorithm.
He explained that the algorithm is working well and also claimed that the likes of QTCinderella, Imane “Pokimane” Amys, and Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa have been reportedly helping him and the DMCA company to take down and flag deepfake sites.
Atrioc, while ending his stream, asked his fans not to expect regular streams or content for a while as he is fully focused on combating deepfakes.
