Telegram apologizes for deepfake porn in South Korea

South Korea’s media regulator announced Tuesday that Telegram has complied with a request to remove deepfake pornographic content from the platform. The encrypted messaging app also apologized for its initial response to digital sex crimes and pledged to improve communication with Korean authorities.

Removal of explicit South Korean deepfake content

The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) reported that Telegram’s representative in East Asia confirmed the removal of 25 pieces of sexual exploitation material as requested. The company acknowledged miscommunication on the matter and provided an exclusive email address for future correspondence with the media watchdog.

The KCSC welcomes this step and would like to strengthen cooperation with Telegram by establishing a hotline to better respond to illegal content on the platform.

“We want to strengthen cooperation with Telegram by opening a hotline, starting with the exclusive email address, to tackle the spread of deepfake materials on sexual exploitation and eventually eradicate digital content on sexual crimes,” a KCSC official said.

The development comes as South Korea’s digital sex crime epidemic continues to worsen. According to police reports, the number of deepfake cases has risen from 156 in 2021 to 297 in July this year. The situation has prompted President Yoon Suk Yeol to launch a thorough investigation into digital sex crimes.

Tackling a growing problem

The issue gained national attention after media reports revealed that Telegram chat rooms were suspected of creating and distributing deepfake porn content using manipulated photos of Korean women, leading to a preliminary police investigation into Telegram’s legal entity for alleged complicity in deepfake sex crimes.

In 2020, the platform’s reputation was tarnished when an online sexual blackmail ring, led by Cho Ju-bin, was discovered operating in its chat rooms. Cho Ju-bin was sentenced to 40 years in prison for blackmailing at least 74 women, including 16 teenagers, into sending increasingly degrading and sometimes violent sexual images of themselves.

Local media reports focused on posts about deepfakes of female college and high school students being shared in Telegram channels, sparking widespread outrage. These posts prompted the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union to call on the Ministry of Education to investigate the matter, citing cases in which students had been victims of sexual deepfakes.

Under South Korea’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Victim Protection Act, creating sexually explicit deepfakes with the intent to distribute them is punishable by five years in prison or a fine of 50 million won ($37,500).

South Koran President Yoon Suk Yeol said during a recent televised cabinet meeting: “It is an exploitation of technology while relying on the protection of anonymity. It is a clear criminal act.”

The country has a zero-tolerance policy towards digital sex crimes and the partnership with Telegram is an important step towards tackling this problem.

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