X Locked My Account Over a DMCA Claim... For a Gaming Photo

A false DMCA claim, an automated takedown, and an account lock. All for a harmless Cyberpunk 2077 screenshot.

I woke up to one of those emails you never want to see. X (Twitter) informed me that my post had been actioned due to a DMCA takedown notice. Fair enough, platforms have to respond to copyright complaints. Except this one was ridiculous.

The post in question was me talking about how cool it was to have Keanu Reeves in his John Wick avatar show up in Cyberpunk 2077 while playing the game. I had clicked a simple photo of my TV screen while playing. No edits. No manipulation. No AI. No “deepfake”. No scam. Just a normal fan moment. Yet the DMCA report claimed the content was “unauthorised AI deepfakes/manipulated content falsely depicting him in scams” and that his likeness was being used “to sell fraudulent material”. None of that was true.

The post wasn’t even fully removed

Here’s the funniest part: the post still exists. X removed the image, but the tweet itself remained visible. So clearly, X didn’t treat it like some dangerous scam content that needed to be wiped from the platform immediately. They treated it like a standard media takedown.

They locked my account anyway

Despite the image being removed, X locked my account and warned me about potential suspension for repeat violations. Removing the image and warning me is one thing, but locking my account and threatening suspension over something that was obviously misidentified is not justified.

DMCA is being used as a shortcut

The bigger issue is how easily DMCA takedowns can be used as a shortcut because platforms like X respond automatically. File a complaint, trigger an instant takedown, and let the user deal with the consequences later. It’s a system that rewards bad-faith reporting and punishes regular users who aren’t doing anything wrong.

The counter-notice trap

X’s own process encourages you to file a counter-notice if you want to contest the takedown, but there’s a catch: a counter-notice requires your full legal name, address, and phone number, and that information can be forwarded to the complainant and logged publicly. So if you’re falsely flagged, you get to choose between staying quiet and accepting the strike, or doxxing yourself to dispute it. Great system.

I requested a manual review

I emailed X and requested a manual review of the notice and the enforcement action, because this was clearly a mistake. I’m not even bothered about the image being gone, I can post another photo any day. What I do care about is the bigger issue: automated takedowns and account locks being triggered without any real verification. If this can happen over a harmless gaming photo, it can happen to anyone for anything they post.

The real takeaway

X doesn’t need “more moderation”. It needs better moderation. Because right now, it’s not protecting users from scams. It’s punishing users because a bot got confused. And that’s a pretty embarrassing look for a platform that claims to care about “free speech”.