Atrioc quits OFFBRAND & takes streaming break in full apology for deepfake controversy
Twitch: AtriocAtrioc has apologized a second time – this time via Twitter – after it was revealed he had visited a deepfake website that produced explicit deepfakes of female Twitch streamers, including Pokimane, QTCinderella, and SweetAnita.
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.
Affected streamers, like Pokimane, QTCinderella, and SweetAnita, have responded to condemn the behavior.
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.
Now, Atrioc has offered another lengthy apology via a Twitlonger.
Atrioc issues second apology following deepfake controversy
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.”
