Twitch addresses deepfake controversy, reiterates commitment to keeping such explicit content away from platform

In a recent press release, Twitch addressed the deepfake scandal that rocked the streaming community earlier this year in January after explicit content featuring the likeness of popular streamers such as Pokimane and others was shown on stream by Atrioc.

In the article shared by Twitch on Twitter, the Amazon-owned streaming platform has taken a hard stance on deepfake content, especially of the explicit kind. The tweet starts with vehement opposition to this type of content and talks about the Creator Camp next week with a few details on new features that will help streamers "keep safe": It stated:

"Explicit "deepfake" content has no place on Twitch—or anywhere. To help protect women streamers we're hosting a Creator Camp on March 14 with more resources and ways to keep safe."

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What does Twitch mean by deepfake content, and why does describing it matter?

Explicit content is already banned on the purple platform, which might make the recent announcement against it look unnecessary to some. Similar arguments were made by a few Redditors on r/LivestreamFail, who opined that the press release was nothing short of a PR stunt after the Atrioc incident went viral.

Arguments about grandstanding aside, by addressing the issue of deepfake media, the article does shed light on how the platform will be dealing with such content in the future. The definition of "deepfake" as NCEI means that any form of "non-consensual exploitative images" will be persecuted if put on the platform.

Twitch has been criticized time and time again for its ambiguously written Terms of Service with unclear instructions on how to avoid certain types of bans. This time, however, it has spelled out exactly what type of content will result in action and penalties in the form of suspensions or otherwise:

"Synthetic NCEI is already prohibited under our policies today, and will of course continue to be enforced against. However, for the sake of clarity and to stay up-to-date with the terminology around safety topics as they evolve, we’re updating two of our policies."

For those looking for the two exact policies that are affected by the inclusion of guidelines surrounding deepfake content, see below:

1. Adult S*xual Violence and Exploitation policy- This policy will now include in clear writing how intentionally sharing, promoting, and creating synthetic NCEI (non-consensual exploitative images) can result in an indefinite suspension from the first offense.
2. Adult Nudity policy- This one is very important. According to the article, the updated policy will penalize people for showing any form of synthetic NCEI, be it for the briefest of moments. This might trigger a suspension even if an NCEI is shown while expressing outrage about the issue.

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Twitch will be organizing a Creator Camp on Match 14, and as per the article, Zara Ward, an expert on deepfake content, will be talking about how harmful an NCEI can be for a creator or streamer. The platform is set to implement these new policies this month and has promised to regularly update community guidelines to match emerging online trends.