Impersonators and fake accounts
A fake account can be attacked on two separate grounds. Copyright covers the photos and videos it reposts. It doesn't cover your identity: names aren't protected by copyright. For that, you need the platform's own impersonation rule. Use both when both apply.
| What the account copies | Your claim |
|---|---|
| Your photos or videos | Copyright notice for each post, if you hold the rights |
| Your name, handle or bio | The platform's impersonation report |
| Your face, generated with AI | The platform's rules on synthetic content, plus the consent routes if it's sexual |
| Your name, on pages linking it to porn sites unrelated to you | Google's explicit-content form covers pages like this |
What platforms say
- YouTube bans unauthorized impersonation of a person, entity or channel. That includes deceptively copying branding, content or usernames, and adding words like "Real" or "Official" to someone's name. It has its own report form, and may remove the channel.
- TikTok lists impersonation among its deceptive behaviors. Report in the app.
- Reddit has its own impersonation rule: see the Reddit guide.
On other platforms, search the help center for "impersonation". Rules differ, so follow what it asks at the time.
What to gather
- The fake profile's link, and the exact handle.
- A screenshot of the profile and any post using your work, with the date. Skip this for anything from when you were under 18.
- Your real profile's link, and where you can point to it being yours.
- Messages from fans who were approached, if there are any. They show the account is trading on your name.
Tell your fans where the real you is
Takedowns take time, and a new account can appear. Post your real links in the places you control. That's part of why both my plans include an official website: it gives people and Google one real place with your name, your links and your style.
What I can do
If an account reposts your content, those posts can get a copyright notice from me. An account using only your name isn't a copyright matter, and that report goes to the platform under its own rules.
General information, not legal advice. I'm not a lawyer and Abolita is not a law firm. Checked against the linked sources on 6 November 2026.
Quick answers
The fake account uses none of my photos. Can a DMCA notice remove it?
No. Copyright protects the work, and names aren't protected by copyright. Report it under that platform's impersonation rule instead.
Can someone use my leaked photos to pose as me?
If they do, you have two grounds at once: a copyright notice for each post that uses your work, and an impersonation report on the account.
Sources
- US Copyright Office: what copyright protects
- Google: remove explicit or intimate personal images
- YouTube: impersonation policy
- TikTok Community Guidelines: integrity and authenticity
Related
See what's out there, free.
The free scan needs only your username: no account, no card. It checks hundreds of known leak sites and gives you a report link with every link it found. Send me that link and I'll remove one page free, so you see it work before you pay anything.