Keanu Reeves Hires Firm to Remove Fake TikTok, Meta Profiles

Keanu Reeves, the star of the "John Wick" franchise, reportedly spends thousands of dollars each month on a specialized company to remove impersonator accounts from platforms like TikTok and Meta.

According to a detailed report by The Hollywood Reporter, Reeves employs a firm named Loti to submit tens of thousands of takedown requests for fake social media profiles every year.

Reeves, widely celebrated for his roles in "The Matrix" and "Cyberpunk 2077" (famously declaring "you're breathtaking!"), may be the internet's most impersonated celebrity. This is due to his massive popularity and absence from official social media, which fuels curiosity about his private life.

Scammers exploit this gap by generating fake images of Reeves endorsing various political views, promoting questionable products, and even creating full-fledged fake profiles. Some impostors build deceptive online relationships with victims, eventually coaxing them into sending money. Reeves has become a prime target for such scams, and the rise of generative AI has made these deceptions more sophisticated and believable.

Reeves is far from alone in facing this challenge. Several high-profile celebrities have publicly spoken out against fraudulent ads. In 2023, Tom Hanks alerted his followers that an AI-generated version of his likeness was being used without permission in an online dental plan advertisement. Last year, Morgan Freeman expressed gratitude to fans who identified AI-generated voice clones circulating online, which were falsely attributed to a person claiming to be his niece.

More recently, in May of this year, Jamie Lee Curtis made a direct appeal to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg via an Instagram post after failing to have the company remove an unauthorized AI-generated ad featuring her image. She condemned the promotion as "some bullshit that I didn’t authorize, agree to or endorse."

Alexandra Shannon, Head of Strategic Development at CAA, informed THR that artists are increasingly worried about this issue. She emphasized the urgent need for clear rules and regulations to curb such misuse.