South Korean Police Investigate Alleged Telegram's Involvement In The Spread Of Sexual Deepfake Content

Telegram is suspected of being involved in the distribution of deepfake content (photo: dock. telegram)

JAKARTA - South Korean police have launched an investigation into Telegram's encrypted messaging app regarding its alleged involvement in the sexually explicit distribution of deepfake content, Yonhap news agency reported on Monday, September 2.

Yonhap quoted a statement from the Head of the National Investigation Office. However, the cyber investigation bureau from the office declined to provide further comment regarding this report.

The investigation comes after public and political anger against digital deepfake pornography featured South Korean women, where local media reported that this kind of content is often found in Telegram chat rooms.

The move is also seen as a follow-up to a statement by National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho on Monday. Cho stated that it is reviewing the possibility to investigate encrypted messaging applications on charges of supporting criminal acts.

South Korean authorities last week pledged to tighten the handling of sexual exploitation deepfake crimes, along with an investigation in France into Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram born in Russia, in connection with alleged organized crimes on the platform.

In a session in parliament, when asked about criminal activity on Telegram, Cho admitted that investigations into secure messaging service providers were very complicated and time-consuming.

Telegram did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the media on Monday. However, last week they said they were actively moderating malicious content on its platform, including illegal pornography.

South Korea is the country most frequently targeted for deepfake pornography, where singers and actresses are 53% of individuals appearing in the deepfake, according to a 2023 report from Security Hero, a US startup focused on protecting identity theft.

Police in the country reported that the number of deepfake sexual crimes they have handled so far this year has increased to 297 cases, compared to 156 cases throughout 2021 when data was first collected. Most of the victims and perpetrators of these crimes are teenagers.

In addition to urging social media companies to be more active in cooperating in removing and blocking such content, South Korean media regulators have also asked French authorities for routine cooperation on issues involving Telegram and facilitating direct communication with the platform.

The South Korean government also announced on Friday, August 30, that it would encourage stricter law enforcement to make buying or watching deepfakes of sexual exploitation a criminal act.