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VTuber Kusunoki Sio Announces Hiatus Due to Harassment

Virtual YouTuber (VTuber) Kusunoki Sio announced on Thursday that she is taking a hiatus from online activities. Sio wrote that beginning on the night of August 19, multiple people have attempted to hack her Twitter and YouTube accounts, find out where she lives, and sent e-mails with pictures identifying Sio's real-life persona.

Sio is in talks with a lawyer and has decided to cease online activities to protect both herself and her family. Sio apologized for inconveniencing her fans and supporters.

Sio debuted on YouTube in December 2019 and she specializes in mahjong and has written a column for the Kindai Mahjong magazine. She is currently independent and not affiliated with any VTuber talent agencies.

In another incident related to VTuber privacy issues, independent VTuber Yamisaki Ichika has been openly addressing an incident that occurred in a stream where her real face was accidentally revealed because of a tech issue. On Twitter, she joked about receiving pity money for the streaming accident, and she also posted a photo of her real face from before she became a VTuber. She plays the character of a girl with depression who nonetheless strives to live life to the fullest.

Earlier this month, several hololive VTubers announced their hiatuses. Sakura Miko announced a 1-2 month break for health issues. Ookami Mio is taking a one-month break due to ongoing copyright issues with video game livestreams. Mano Aloe announced she will be taking a two-week break from streaming activities after accidentally leaking her Live2D model in a test stream. While acknowledging the backlash from some viewers, she urged them not to harass her real-life acquaintances or call her house.

Edit (31/8): A previous version of this article stated that Sakura Miko took a break for family issues. This has been corrected.

Source: Kusunoki Sio's official site, Yamisaki Ichika's Twitter account via Otakomu