Telegram In Hot Water: South Korean Authorities Launch Deepfake Probe

The authorities in South Korea have been scaling up their efforts to combat the rampant increase of deepfake videos, particularly explicit material targeting women and teens.

How far this investigation of the Telegram messaging platform marks that step remains to be seen. Triggered by the anger of the public and politicians alike, the Seoul Metropolitan Police launched a probe into allegations of negligence by Telegram for having allowed deepfake pornography to spread on its platform.

Authorities said the deepfake sex crimes have increased exponentially, from 156 cases in 2021 to 297 cases this year alone, which has forced the government to carry out drastic measures to deal with the problem.

The investigation on Telegram was launched after eight automated programs that created deepfake pornography were found on the app. Complaints to the police have piled up, with reports about deepfake-related sex crimes having been filed by as many as 88 within a few days.

According to Woo Jong-soo, chief of the National Investigation Headquarters under the National Police Agency, the firm has so far refused to actively provide investigators with needed materials, including account details.

It has troubled the police in holding the culprits responsible for the crime. Against this backdrop, the South Korean government is cooperating with French investigative agencies as part of renewed efforts, after the arrest of Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov, accused of running a platform that hosted a number of online crimes.

The South Korean government has been taking various steps to support victims and enhance its regulatory oversight. The Korea Communications Standards Commission announced the establishment of a 24-hour hotline for victims of deepfake content, while the commission intends to increase personnel currently assigned to monitoring digital sex crimes from the current 70.

Meanwhile, the Korean National Police Agency embarks on a seven-month program channeled toward strengthening operations against online sex crimes. This campaign involves the creation of a consultative body that will ensure good communication with social media sites concerning the deletion and blocking of dangerous content.

The South Korean authorities are calling on Telegram and all other social media platforms, such as X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, to take urgent collaboration in removing sexually explicit deepfake content.

Authorities emphasized that the production, possession, and distribution of deepfake sex videos are serious breach of individual dignity and personal rights. While Telegram claimed to have taken down harmful content using AI tools and user reports, the platform has faced criticism for its handling of digital sex crimes.

Of course, the issue has hit the company hard in the recent arrest of Durov, with many questions raised as to how seriously it takes such issues.

Deepfake pornography has proliferated in South Korea, really taking that country’s tide of concern to a very high level, since a majority of the victims in the country are young women-students and even military personnel.

More than 6,400 requests for assistance were filed this year alone by South Koreans with the Korea Communications Standards Commission to remove explicit deepfake content.

Featured image from ABC News, chart from TradingView