Dustin Gandof
The Twitch community has been shaken by a recent deepfake porn scandal that has caused outrage among its viewers and content creators alike. The scandal involves streamer Brandon “Atrioc” Ewing, who was discovered to have been watching non-consensual deepfake porn on his Twitch stream. This sparked a heated debate in the streaming community about the use of deepfakes, which are digital manipulations of images or videos to make them appear real.
For those unfamiliar, deepfakes have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with some people using them to create fake pornographic content that can be damaging to the people depicted. The issue became a major concern for Twitch after it was revealed that Atrioc had been watching non-consensual deepfake porn on his channel, prompting Twitch to take down his channel and ban him from the platform.
The incident has caused profound distress among the victims, with one stating that “it was quite horrifying.” The scandal has also brought concerns about the use of deepfakes to the forefront of the debate, with many people questioning whether they should be permitted on the platform at all.
In response to the controversy, Twitch has implemented stricter rules and guidelines around the use of deepfakes, which now require creators to clearly mark manipulated content as such. The platform has also increased its moderation efforts around deepfake content, primarily focusing on taking such content down promptly when it is found.
While the scandal is an unfortunate reminder of the potential consequences of digital manipulation, it has also provided an opportunity for the industry to take stock of its practices and responsibilities. As the use of deepfakes continues to grow, platforms like Twitch must work to safeguard their users and ensure that their sites are safe and welcoming for all.
