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South Korea opens Telegram deepfake porn probe

September 2, 2024

Police in Seoul say they have received dozens of complaints regarding AI-generated pornographic material with real people's faces. This follows the arrest of Telegram's founder in France last month.

https://p.dw.com/p/4kABE
Undated photo of a man looking at a mobile phone with blurred images
Perpetrators of deepfake crimes have reportedly used social media platforms to screen-capture photos, which were then used to create fake pornographic materialImage: PA Wire/empics/picture alliance

South Korea's National Police Agency (KNPA) announced on Monday that they were investigating the encrypted messaging app Telegram. They suspect the platform of "abetting" the distribution of AI-generated pornography, also called deepfake porn, including images of teenagers.

Deepfake pornography involves superimposing the face of a real person on an AI-created body. Last month, a South Korean broadcaster ran a story exposing a Telegram chatroom run by university students sharing deepfake pornographic material of female classmates.

This was just one several high-profile cases in the country that has caused public outrage.

"In light of these crimes, the Seoul National Police Agency launched their probe last week... for abetting the crimes," KNPA investigations chief Woo Jong-soo told reporters.

"Telegram has been non-responsive to our previous requests for account information during investigations of earlier Telegram-linked crimes," he added.

Russian propaganda: Deepfake videos tougher to detect

Telegram chief arrested

Woo said that police have received 88 complaints about deepfake pornography and have identified 24 suspects. Digital sex crimes have become a major concern in South Korea, including the use of spycams and revenge porn.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, a former prosecutor, has pledged to "eradicate" this type of crime.

Telegram founder and chief Pavel Durov was arrested in France in August. The Russian-born Dubai-based entrepreneur is being held over allegations of allowing criminality to spread on the platform.

Woo said that South Korean police would be working together with French counterparts on the case.

es/lo (AFP, Reuters)