Twitch streamer Brandon “Atrioc” Ewing has come under fire for showing naked deepfakes of popular content creators.
During a recent stream, Atrioc switched to another window to reveal an image gallery full of deepfakes. The deepfakes in question were made by putting the faces of popular streamers like Imane “Pokimane” Anys on naked models from online adult content. This would make it appear as if the female streamers were the ones that were naked.
As the streaming community responded with disgust and anger, Atrioc issued an apology to fans.
Atrioc responds to backlash over deepfake porn
A since-deleted clip from Atrioc’s stream went viral where he accidentally showed a window full of NSFW deepfakes of other streamers. The streaming community responded with anger that Atrioc would even be looking at fake nudes of popular streamers, many of which he knew in some capacity.
As the backlash continued, Atrioc went on stream with his wife to discuss the situation. In the 14-minute stream, Atrioc apologized for looking at the deepfake nudes, claiming that he saw the ad on Pornhub and clicked on it due to his recent curiosity about AI technology. He called his choice “disgusting” and “embarrassing.”
In the apology stream, Atrioc started to cry. He explained that he’s been trying to “create a pattern of behavior” on his streams that would help women feel safe on Twitch. This included banning any behavior “on sight” in his chats that would be considered sexist or threatening to women. Unfortunately, the incident with the deepfake nudes squandered this effort.
The response has been largely not in Atrioc’s favor. Many people were glad that Atrioc got caught watching inappropriate material since he was apparently fine doing it in secret. People were more concerned with how Pokimane and other streamers felt about Atrioc and others looking at fake nudes of them. One fan even said it was a “violation of privacy and friendship.”
Atrioc has been banned for NSFW content in the past. In 2021, he was suspended from Twitch for accidentally showing a flaccid penis while looking at inappropriate topics on Wikipedia. The situation became more shocking when Atrioc didn’t seem to notice the image and remained on the page for an uncomfortable amount of time.
What is a deepfake?
A deepfake is a photo or video of someone where the face is digitally altered to appear as someone else. Deepfakes of celebrities have been around for a while, including a popular deepfake Keanu Reeves TikTok account. While that account is wholesome, a lot of deepfakes are used for more sinister reasons, like spreading false information. In this case, deepfakes were being used to create fake nudes of popular streamers so people could fantasize about them.
Since the incident, Atrioc has locked his Discord so no members can send messages. Fans are wondering if his business partner and friend Ludwig will have to address the situation.
