Streaming Community Enraged After Atrioc Pays for Deepfakes of Female Streamers

Twitch streamer Brandon “Atrioc” Ewing issued a tearful apology on his stream after he was accidentally caught looking at not-safe-for-work (NSFW) deepfakes of fellow streamers. A clip claiming to expose the streamer for subscribing to a website to look at deepfakes of other streamers went viral on 30th January on Reddit, enraging the streaming community. The clip reportedly showed Atrioc playing Hitman 3 where he tabbed out of the game for a split second, revealing all of the other windows he had opened on his PC, including the alleged deepfake website.

The deepfake website reportedly sells access to graphic deepfake content of female Twitch streamers. Atrioc's viewers and fans of the creators targeted by the NSFW deepfakes were outraged by his actions.

Atrioc issues tearful apology on stream

After the clip went viral online, Atrioc went live on his Twitch with his partner to apologize and address the issue. He explained that he had been watching and reading a lot of content about Artificial Intelligence (AI) including deepfake music and art. He said, “This is so embarrassing. But I was on a regular ass, normal f***** website, and there was an ad. There’s an ad on every f***** video… for this deepfake thing, and then I click it, and then I’m in this rabbit hole.”

Atrioc added that he got “morbidly curious” and clicked on something. He expressed regret and embarrassment, emphasizing that it was a one-time occurrence and not a recurring behavior, adding, “It’s gross and I’m sorry. I really am. It’s so embarrassing.” 

While he acknowledged that it was wrong and that he was not defending his actions, Atrioc said that he did not look at any streamers he personally knew and that he could show the receipt to the paywalled deepfake website to prove that he purchased access to it on the same day the clip was made.

Streaming and gaming community calls out Atrioc

QTCinderalla expressed frustration in a tweet, calling for people to stop spreading and promoting material involving nudity without consent. She criticized "male internet journalists" who openly shared the incident without censoring the name of the NSFW website while reporting on the issue and directed her anger towards "predatory and perverted men."

QTCinderalla also added that she would sue the founder of the deepfake website in her recent livestream. In a tearful statement, she said the constant exploitation and objectification of women was exhausting and added that it was not her job to pay money to get this stuff taken down. “And to the person who made that website? I’m going to f***** sue you. I promise you. With every part of my soul, I’m going to sue you,” claimed Blaire.

Another streamer Sweet Anita revealed that she learned that she was also on the website through the Atrioc incident. She also shared her frustration and disappointment on Twitter.

Other people in the streaming and gaming community have rallied together to support the creators affected by this issue. They pointed out how disturbing and concerning deepfakes are and how they violate women’s right to privacy and safety.  

Valorant and Rainbow Six Siege analyst and commentator Jessica "Jess" Bolden called out Atrioc by pointing out that one needs to pay “good money to see this” and that it was no accident.

Jess added, “Also, explain to me why the POOR WIFE had to sit next to him as he explained how he helped pay to violate women’s identities on the internet while she was out of town. This poor woman had to sit next to him, crying live on camera, while the chat sympathized with HIM. I'm dead.”

Twitch partner and streamer Caroline Kwan stated that there is a simple, non-debatable difference between (legal) porn and deep fake porn. “The former is consensual, the latter is inherently non-consensual. DFP is a form of digital abuse & violates the victims’ (who of course are mostly women) rights to their privacy and images,” she added.

[1st February] Update: Pokimane and Maya Higa respond after Atrioc's deepfake issue

Pokimane spoke out on the Atrioc issue. She tweeted, “Stop sexualizing people without their consent. That’s it, that’s the tweet.” 

Maya Higa released a statement about the situation, feeling disgusted, vulnerable, nauseous and violated, stating that her face was stolen for men to use as a sexual object despite the fact that she had not created any sexual content on Twitch.

She compared it to her previous experience of sexual exploitation and said if someone thinks it's not a big deal, they are the problem.