Twitch streamer QTCinderella will be suing an explicit deepfake video website for publishing videos using her likeness. Videos of the streamer and her friends/colleagues — Pokimane, Sweet Anita, Maya Higa and more — have been manipulated to put the women in sexual situations without their consent.
The Twitch streamer became aware of the situation after another streamer, Atrioc, was caught looking at explicit deepfakes of her on a livestream. After being called out Atrioc apologised, claiming he was just “morbidly curious” about the website.
In response, QTCinderlla addressed the situation live on Twitch. In her statement, the live streamer condemned Atrioc’s action as well as the creators of explicit consent that uses her face without consent.
The Twitch streamer revealed that the internet’s “exploitation and objectification” of women is exhausting. QTCinderella revealed that she was not only hurt by the existence of the explicit videos, but also online users that decided to personally send her the deepfake content after Atrioc’s scandal.
“F**k the f**king internet,” the streamer tearfully said. “F**k the constant exploitation and objectification of women — it's exhausting. F**k Atrioc for showing it to thousands of people. F**k the people DM-ing me pictures of myself from that website. F**k you all!”
The streamer declared that she will be taking legal action against the owner of the deepfake video website. She said: “I'm going to f**king sue you. I promise you, with every part of my soul. I'm going to f**king sue you."
“It should not be a part of my job to have to pay money to get this stuff taken down,” she said. “It should be part of my job to be harassed, to see pictures of me ‘nude’ spread around. The fact that it is… is exhausting.”
Deepfake AI has been widely criticised for its explicit uses. While the technology has its uses in entertainment for TV shows like The Mandalorian, the creation of explicit materials of other people without their consent is a widespread issue. Furthermore, the creation of lifelike AI audio tools has allowed people to make anyone say anything they want as well, forcing celebrities to say hatespeech and more.
While some countries are already looking at banning deepfake tech, QTCinderella’s lawsuit could be the start of cracking down on non-consensual deepfakes.