What are deepfakes and bavfakes?
Eleanor Gray
Published Apr 03, 2026
Deepfakes of Pokimane and Maya Higa, among other female content creators, have surfaced online after Twitch streamer Atrioc was exposed for having paid to access a site featuring fellow streamers.
A tab to the site where the malicious NSFW videos, which were created and distributed without the consent of those whose identities were used, was spotted on Atrioc’s screen during a live-stream. Atrioc has since issued a tearful apology.
In light of the precarious situation, let’s take a closer look at what happened and what a deepfake really is.
Atrioc apologizes for paying for Bavfakes content
In his apology video posted on streaming platform Twitch, Atrioc explained he had recently been reading a lot into AI and deepfake technology, such as AI art.
“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,” he said. “I got morbidly curious and I clicked something. It’s gross and I’m sorry. It’s so embarrassing.” Tearfully he claimed this was not a “pattern of behavior” and he deemed this type of content “wrong.”
Dexerto reports Atrioc claimed he had only looked at the video once and could show the receipt to prove he purchased access to the site on the same day the clip was made.
The malicious videos of the female streamers were allegedly created by a user named Bavfakes, who specializes in deepfakes involving female streamers.
What is a deepfake?
Deepfake technology appears to be infiltrating mainstream culture at an alarming rate. It refers to the use of advanced software that’s used to manipulate audio and video recordings to create a piece of content that looks real, but isn’t.
Using tech such as convincing filters means a video can be made that appears to show a particular person doing a particular thing, when in reality what you are seeing never happened.
There are ethical debates surrounding deepfake technology as it can be used in nefarious ways to deceive people into believing something that is entirely fabricated.
Pokimane and Maya Higa haven’t responded to the controversy
Pokimane is a popular content creator and gamer. She has more than nine million followers on Twitch and six million followers on Instagram. Maya Higa is a Twitch streamer and wildlife rehabilitator specializing in birds of prey. She has 729,000 followers on Twitch.
Neither Pokimaine nor Maya Higa have commented on the situation but some other female streamers who have been affected by the deepfake have.
YouTuber and Twitch streamer QTCinderella went live yesterday (January 30) to address the situation. She explained, through tears, that she wanted to go live so “people can see what pain looks like.” She also called the objectification of women on the internet “exhausting.”
Twitch ambassador Sweet Anita, who was also allegedly included in Bavfakes’ videos, tweeted: “Don’t know whether to cry, break stuff or laugh at this point.”
This story was how I found out that I'm on this website. I literally choose to pass up millions by not going into sex work and some random cheeto encrusted porn addict solicits my body without my consent instead. Don't know whether to cry, break stuff or laugh at this point.
— Sweet Anita (@sweetanita) January 30, 2023
