Maya Higa, a Twitch streamer, shared her thoughts on the latest Deepfake scandal involving Brandon “Atrioc” Ewing
Atrioc apologised live on Twitch on January 30, 2023.
When Atrioc discovered that he had been caught watching Deepfake recordings of other well-known streamers, he apologised for the same. Arianna, Atrioc’s wife, also appeared in the sad apology video.
Maya Higa opens up after Atrioc was caught watching deepfake of her
The Apology
During a Twitch live stream, Atrioc unintentionally exposed viewers to his web browser. These tabs allegedly included one that displayed a website with “Deepfakes” of well-known female streamers. One of the Twitch streams, Maya Higa, had a Deepfake made of them, purportedly by a user going by the name of Bavfakes. Her post was also read by Ludwig Ahgren, who was seen supporting Astrioc on his MogulMail YouTube channel.
“Disgusting”—Maya Higa Brands Deepfake Controversy
After the release of Atrioc’s video apology, Maya Higa released a statement of her own regarding the “Deepfake” scandal.
“I have not produced any sexual content in my three years on Twitch,” she wrote on Twitter. “In spite of this, my face was taken in order for men to use me as a object for themselves. Thousands of people are commenting on the sexualization of my body against my will, and if anyone doesn’t think it’s a huge thing that my name is popping there, then you are the problem.”
Maya Higa Compares Her Work With Her Experience In 2018
Maya Higa drew from her prior experience to highlight the gravity of fabricating explicit Deepfakes of people without their consent. In 2018, when intoxicated at a party, Higa claims that he used her against her will for a man’s sexual fulfilment. “Today, I have been used against my will for enjoyment by hundreds of guys.”
In recent years, there have been attempts to stifle explicit Deepfakes. Deepfake was outlawed in Virginia in 2019. According to Sky, the UK government revealed its intentions in September 2022 to make it illegal to share “Deepfakes” without permission.
People who distribute or produce explicit Deepfakes that impersonate other people without their permission risk going to jail.
A Message To “Stop S*xualizing People Without Consent” Unites Streamers
Maya Higa’s sentiment has been repeated by Pokimane, QTCinderella, and Sweet Anita, other Twitch streamers. All four streamers have discussed how the development of these Deepfakes resulted in their exploitation and lack of permission.
Being forced to be seen “naked” should NOT BE A PART OF THIS JOB, according to QTCinderella.
Sweet Anita wrote, “I literally chose to pass up millions by not entering the sex industry, and instead, some random Cheeto-encrusted addict solicits my body without my consent. “I’m not sure whether to laugh, cry, or break things at this point.”
“Stop s*xualizing people without their consent,” Pokimane said simply.