TikTok is testing an opt-in ‘Likeness Detection’ tool that lets US creators find and report AI deepfakes of themselves

TikTok is testing a tool that lets creators find and report AI-generated videos that use their face without their permission.

The opt-in feature, called Likeness Detection, is being tested with a limited group of creators in the United States.

It was first spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra, who wrote in a post on X on Friday (July 17) that TikTok was testing the feature with “some US creators.”

“It surfaces AI-generated content that may use a creator’s face without consent,” Navarra wrote.

The test is limited to a small group of US creators, TikTok US spokesperson Zachary Kizer told The Verge.

To use the tool, creators first verify their identity through Jumio, a third-party identity-verification service.

The process involves a real-time selfie scan and a government ID check.

Once a creator is verified, TikTok‘s systems scan the platform for AI-generated videos that appear to use that person’s face.

“TikTok does not retain ID documents, and facial information is used only for likeness matching and to help identify potential unauthorized uses of a creator’s likeness.”

Zachary Kizer, TikTok (via The Verge)

Creators can then review any matches and report the posts or accounts they believe are using their likeness without authorization.

Kizer said that “TikTok does not retain ID documents, and facial information is used only for likeness matching and to help identify potential unauthorized uses of a creator’s likeness.”

The feature is TikTok‘s latest move against deepfakes and AI impersonation.

It is separate from the platform’s existing work to label AI-generated content.

Days earlier, on July 10, TikTok said it had labeled more than 3 billion videos as AI-generated content, using a combination of Content Credentials, creator labeling tools and invisible watermarking.

The same day, TikTok said it was joining the Steering Committee of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), the body behind the Content Credentials standard, which TikTok says it was the first video platform to adopt two years ago.

The standard flags when a piece of content has been generated or edited with AI.

TikTok added that it had removed more than 86 million fake accounts in the first quarter of 2026, and that it would begin testing improved detection systems for accounts that post AI-generated spam.

“At TikTok, we believe AI can transform how people share their creativity, discover new passions, and stay safe on our platform when used transparently and responsibly,” the company said.

On the music side, TikTok has already been policing manipulated audio.

Its distribution arm, SoundOn, in April began using content-recognition firm ACRCloud‘s Derivative Works Detection service to intercept unauthorized uploads before they reach streaming services.

That system also requires uploaders to verify their identity with photo ID, with flagged tracks sent for human review.

TikTok is not the first platform to offer creators this kind of protection.

YouTube began rolling out its own likeness-detection tool in October 2025, initially for a limited set of creators.

In April, YouTube extended the tool to celebrities and talent agencies, regardless of whether they have a YouTube channel.

Those partners included CAA, UTA, WME and Untitled Management. In May 2026, YouTube widened the tool again, opening it to all users aged 18 and over.

YouTube says its system works like Content ID, its copyright-matching technology, except that it scans for a creator’s face rather than for copyrighted material.

The YouTube tool currently detects faces only, and the company says it aims to extend it to voice in 2026.

The tools are arriving as the music industry escalates its own fight against AI deepfakes and impersonation.

In March, Sony Music asked streaming services to take down more than 135,000 tracks it said were made by fraudsters using generative AI to impersonate artists on its roster.

Dennis Kooker, President, Global Digital Business & US Sales at Sony Music Entertainment, has said such deepfakes cause “direct commercial harm to legitimate recording artists.”

Also in March, Spotify began piloting an opt-in feature, Artist Profile Protection, that lets artists approve releases before they appear on their profiles.

Rival service Deezer has said it receives nearly 75,000 fully AI-generated tracks a day, about 44% of its daily uploads.

The music industry’s concern over AI voice-cloning dates to the 2023 “fake Drake” track, which drew hundreds of thousands of streams before services pulled it.

For now, TikTok‘s Likeness Detection tool remains a test, available to a small group of US creators, and the company has not said when – or whether – it will roll out more widely.Music Business Worldwide