Keanu Reeves sues TikTok, Meta over deepfakes

Keanu Reeves, renowned star of John Wick, reportedly spends thousands monthly hiring a company to remove impersonators from platforms like TikTok and Meta.

According to The Hollywood Reporter's investigative piece, Reeves employs a firm called Loti to submit tens of thousands of takedown requests annually targeting fake social media accounts.

The beloved actor ("you're breathtaking!") from The Matrix and Cyberpunk 2077 allegedly faces more impersonation than most celebrities due to his iconic status and absence from official social platforms, which fuels curiosity about his private life.

Fraudsters exploit this void by generating fabricated images of Reeves appearing to endorse political agendas, promote questionable products, and—more maliciously—creating fake profiles that develop relationships with victims for financial exploitation. With generative AI advancing, these scams are becoming worryingly convincing.

This issue extends beyond Reeves. Numerous celebrities have spoken out against unauthorized AI impersonations. In 2023, Tom Hanks warned followers about an AI-generated dental plan ad featuring his likeness without permission. Morgan Freeman publicly thanked fans last year for identifying videos falsely attributed to his "niece" that used synthetic voice cloning.

The problem escalated in May when Jamie Lee Curtis addressed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg directly via Instagram after failing to remove an AI-generated advertisement falsely implying her endorsement.

Alexandra Shannon from Creative Artists Agency highlighted growing industry concerns about this emerging threat, advocating for stronger regulations to protect public figures' digital identities.