Meta Removes 2 Celebrity Deepfake Instagram Accounts After Verge Probe
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Oct 15
Meta Removes 2 Celebrity Deepfake Instagram Accounts After Verge Probe
3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Oct 15
Summary
Meta took down some of eight Instagram accounts flagged by The Verge for celebrity deepfakes, including pages impersonating Mia Goth and Scarlett Johansson.
The Goth account had more than 1 million followers, a paid blue check and an AI-generated post that drew nearly 500,000 likes before Instagram removed it for impersonation.
That fake image spread beyond Instagram after gossip sites amplified it and Google Search surfaced an AI overview repeating the false claim that Goth was mocking Shia LaBeouf.
Meta says impersonation is banned whether content is authentic or AI-generated, but its rules still exempt still images from AI-label requirements, leaving other celebrity deepfake accounts active.
The episode highlights a wider enforcement gap as AI celebrity clips and images rack up millions of views, while platforms rely on uneven takedowns rather than broad likeness protections.