Deepfake ads are turning creators into unpaid salespeople
The Guardian documented several cases in which generated images or videos used creators' likenesses to promote products they did not endorse. Lifestyle creator Emily Schuman found versions of herself in ads or posts for a telehealth company, a makeup brand and a blood-testing company. Gala and Meroda did not respond to the Guardian. Superpower said the post using Schuman was made by a scammer and that the company reported it.
Verified 2:55 AM PDT · 3 original sources
Fashion creator Molly Tranchin sued underwear company Eby after a campaign allegedly altered contracted footage to depict her in a different pose. She dropped the case over jurisdiction and plans to refile, according to court records reported by the Guardian. Eby said it would address the allegations through the legal process. Meta says it has expanded advertiser verification and uses AI to detect celebrity and brand impersonation.
The named cases show a real enforcement problem, but they do not establish how common creator impersonation is across all ads. The Tranchin allegations have not been decided by a court. Meta's removal and account totals are company figures, and broad loss estimates for deepfake scams use methods that are difficult to audit. The story supports the existence of harm, not a precise global prevalence rate.
Platforms can publish median response times for reported impersonation ads, repeat-account rates and the share of ad spend tied to verified advertisers. Courts can clarify when a contract to edit footage permits generated changes to a person's body or endorsement. A reliable remedy also needs to stop replacement accounts, not only remove one post after it has circulated.
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