Telegram has issued an apology to South Korean authorities for its handling of deepfake pornography distributed via its messaging app, amidst a surge of digital sex crimes in the country. This comes shortly after South Korean police launched an investigation into Telegram, accusing it of “abetting” the spread of such material.
Recently, a number of Telegram chatrooms, many operated by teenagers, were found to be generating sexually explicit deepfakes using manipulated photos of young women. Authorities have since reported that Telegram has removed these videos from its platform.
In a statement to South Korea’s Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), Telegram described the situation as “unfortunate” and apologized for any misunderstandings. The company confirmed that it had taken down 25 videos as requested by KCSC. Additionally, Telegram proposed establishing a dedicated email address for future communication with the regulator.
KCSC has commended Telegram’s response as “very forward-looking” and noted that the company has “acknowledged the seriousness” of the issue.
Deepfakes, which use artificial intelligence to combine a real person’s face with a fabricated body, have triggered widespread outrage in South Korea. This controversy has intensified following revelations that police are investigating deepfake porn rings at two major universities. In the past five days, police have received 118 reports of such videos and have questioned seven suspects, including six teenagers.
The chat groups involved were associated with various schools and universities across the country, and many victims were students and teachers known to the perpetrators. In South Korea, individuals convicted of creating sexually explicit deepfakes face up to five years in prison and fines of up to 50 million won ($37,500; £28,300).
These events come on the heels of the arrest of Telegram’s Russian-born founder, Pavel Durov, in France on allegations of child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraud associated with the messaging app.
Mr Durov has since been charged.
Last Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had instructed authorities to “thoroughly investigate and address these digital sex crimes to eradicate them”.
Women’s rights activists have accused South Korean authorities of allowing sexual abuse to take place on Telegram.
In 2019, it was discovered that a sex ring had used the app to blackmail dozens of women and children to film pornographic content. The ring leader Cho Ju-bin, who was then 20, was sentenced to 42 years in jail.
