As deepfakes become more commonplace, celebrities have no choice but to play whack-a-mole. The strategy has become more sophisticated as AI technology becomes more realistic and accessible, ensnaring everyone from Taylor Swift to Scarlett Johansson to presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Now, one of Hollywood’s go-to law firms is taking on the scourge. Venable LLP, whose clients include Swift, Peyton Manning and “La La Land” producer Automata, has launched TakeDown, a sophisticated program that proactively identifies and removes illicit, unauthorized deepfake videos, photos and pirated content online. The program was created by Venable Blue, the firm’s cybersecurity and privacy consulting arm.
The Takedown program, available to new and existing Venable customers, is designed to protect individuals and businesses from the online spread of unauthorized and offensive content, misleading information, false endorsements, as well as copyright and trademark infringement. (Swift has been a client of the company for more than a decade, and recently used Venable to prevent a college student from tracking her private plane.)
“This is absolutely essential, especially for high-profile talent and individuals who are the primary targets of threat actors,” says Hemu Nigam, a partner at Venable LLP, who led the creation of Venable Blue. “In the current status quo, threat actors are not only gaining visibility, but also exploiting an audience that could potentially consume [artificial] “Some people post fake content without realizing they are watching an illegal fake video, image, or endorsement. So, this can be a double-edged sword where celebrities and the public become victims.”
Threat actors can range from disgruntled fans to nation-states seeking to create disinformation campaigns, says Nigam, who previously served as chief security officer at Fox and News Corp. and was vice president of cyber enforcement at the Motion Picture Association. As such, deepfakes can cause significant financial and reputational damage.
In January, fake, sexually explicit photos of Taylor Swift went viral on social media, with one post on X (formerly Twitter) attracting nearly 50 million views. Johansson’s digital likeness was used to promote an artificial intelligence app without her permission. More recently, fake images of Trump falling during his arrest and Harris approaching Jeffrey Epstein have gone viral.
Venable has a lot of experience dealing with this problem because of its presence in the entertainment industry. The 124-year-old company, headquartered in Washington, D.C., which expanded to Los Angeles in 2006, has represented film and television companies such as ViacomCBS and Boardwalk Pictures.
As Hollywood grapples with the issue, companies have turned to AI to combat AI-generated deepfakes. In April, WME partnered with Seattle-based software company Loti, which detects unauthorized content posted online. But Venable Blue’s Takedown also relies on its own human employees, who will engage with clients at every stage of the process, from identifying threats to removing content and working with law enforcement if necessary.
In addition to removal requests, Venable Blue provides 24/7 monitoring for new or recurring threats, and analysis of data and metrics including identifying the number of malicious posts removed, where malicious content has gained traction, and identifying the most repeat offenders.
Although VenableBlue does not disclose the names of its clients, Nigam says it has already used a beta version of the software to support attacks against prominent actors, athletes and artists.
