Atrioc has apologized a second time after it was revealed he had visited a deepfake website that produced explicit deepfakes of female Twitch streamers, including Pokimane, QTCinderella, Maya Higa, and SweetAnita.
On January 30, a clip claiming to “expose” Atrioc for looking at deepfakes of other streamers gained traction. In the clip, Atrioc briefly shows his tabs, one of which was allegedly a deepfake website.
This website sells access to deepfake images and videos of female Twitch streamers, including Pokimane, Maya Higa, and QTCinderella. The images and videos are graphic in nature.
It has spawned controversy elsewhere in the community, with Ethan Klein criticized by xQc for laughing as QTCinderella spoke about the incident. He has since apologized.
Affected streamers, like Pokimane, QTCinderella, and SweetAnita, have responded to condemn the behavior.
A few hours after the clip went viral, Atrioc appeared on stream with his partner to address the situation.
On January 30, Twitch streamer Atrioc apologized via his stream after a short clip revealed he had visited a website that produced sexually explicit deepfakes of female streamers.
Atrioc apologizes over deepfakes controversy
“This is so embarrassing,” Atrioc said. He explained he had taken a keen interest in AI and deepfake technology, such as AI art.
“But I was on a regular website, and there was an ad on every video… and then I click it, and then I’m in this rabbit hole.
“I got morbidly curious and I clicked something. It’s gross and I’m sorry. It’s so embarrassing.”
He also claimed that it was not a “pattern of behavior”, and that he had only looked at it once. He said he could show the receipt to prove he purchased access to the site on the same day as the clip was made.
“There is no excuse for it. I’m not defending it in any way, I think this whole category of stuff is wrong,” he said.
Fans were immediate with their backlash against the original clip, arguing that it was more egregious because he is acquaintances with some of the streamers and their partners.
Following the apology, some have been more sympathetic and supported his claims that he has always tried to make his stream a welcoming place for women. “This feels like one of the more sincere apologies I’ve seen,” one viewer said. “Doesn’t excuse anything though, and morbid curiosity isn’t a good reason.”
QTCinderella has since responded to the situation, calling for people to stop spreading the site at all. “Being seen “naked” against your will should NOT BE A PART OF THIS JOB.”
Sweet Anita also shared her disappointment and frustration over finding her name attached to the situation.
“Don’t know whether to cry, break stuff or laugh at this point,” she stated.
Atrioc issues second apology following deepfake controversy via Twitlonger.
Now, Atrioc has offered another lengthy apology via a Twitlonger.
The statement apologized to the women specifically affected by the deepfakes and pledged to take action against deepfake technology sexualizing women without their consent.
It opened: “This statement is long overdue. My actions have taken me from someone I was proud of, trying to make a positive impact in my community, to a “deepfake p*rn guy”. The scar of that is felt deeply on my heart.
“First and foremost I want to specifically apologize to Maya and Pokimane… Your names were dragged into it and you were sexualized against your will… I’m sorry I didn’t reach out sooner, I’m sorry my actions have lead to further exploitation of you and your body, and I’m sorry your experience is not uncommon.”
He went on to explain that he will be stepping down from content and focussing on combating the prevalence of similar websites, as well as praising QT and her successful effort to shut down the website in question.
He finished: “To ensure this issue has my full focus I am stepping away from content creation and OFFBRAND.
“Lastly, to anyone who has expressed the sentiment of “support” that what I did wasn’t wrong, or that I shouldn’t apologize- F**k you. Sincerely, I do not want your support, I do not stand with you. This will be the last time you hear from me for a while. I’d rather you see my actions. I will try my absolute hardest to combat the damage I caused. Thank you.”
