Online impersonation is pretending to be a real person or organisation — through a fake profile, website, email or ad — in a way that misleads people about who is behind it.
Impersonation ranges from fake social media profiles using someone's name and photos to fake websites, lookalike domains, phishing emails and ads that copy a brand. All major platforms prohibit accounts that deceptively pretend to be someone else, while generally allowing parody, commentary and fan accounts that are clearly labelled as such.
Depending on the facts, impersonation can also break the law: some jurisdictions make online impersonation with intent to harm or defraud a criminal offence, and when it targets a business it can involve trademark infringement or fraud.
In practice
Platforms usually require an impersonation report to come from the person or organisation being impersonated, or an authorised representative, and ask for proof of identity or trademark rights. Reports filed by friends or with weak evidence are often rejected. Fake websites and lookalike domains are handled through the host and registrar, and phishing that copies a brand through abuse reports and email authentication.
Related removals
- Fake accounts — $7,700 per account, pay on success
- Website takedown — $3,000 per site, pay on success
- Brand protection — Custom engagement, pay on success
Related terms
- Phishing — Phishing is a fraud in which attackers impersonate a trusted brand or person, by email, text or a fake website, to trick people into handing over passwords, payment details or money.
- Website takedown — A website takedown is the removal of an unlawful website through the lawful channels of its hosting provider, domain registrar, CDN and search engines.
- Community guidelines — Community guidelines are a platform's own rules about what users may post, and breaking them is the most common ground on which platforms remove content.
- DMARC — DMARC is an email authentication standard that lets a domain owner tell receiving servers what to do with mail that falsely uses its domain in the From address, and receive reports about it.
- Deepfake — A deepfake is AI-generated or manipulated image, audio or video content that resembles a real person, place or event and would falsely appear to be authentic.