Key Points
- Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency initiates a preliminary investigation into Telegram for allegedly abetting deepfake sex crimes, marking the first such probe into the platform’s corporate entity in South Korea.
- The investigation comes amidst a surge in deepfake pornography cases targeting young women and teenagers, with 88 reports filed in just four days and 24 suspects identified.
Police Take Action Against Deepfake Crimes
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has launched a preliminary investigation into the instant messaging platform Telegram, suspecting it of abetting deepfake sex crimes. This move, reported by local news outlet Yonhap, and announced on Monday by Woo Jong-soo, head of the National Office of Investigation, marks a significant step in South Korea’s efforts to combat the proliferation of deepfake pornography targeting young women, including teenagers.
“As France has done, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency launched an internal investigation into the corporate entity of Telegram before officially booking it,” Woo stated, indicating that the charges relate to abetting deepfake video crimes.
Challenges and International Cooperation
The investigation faces potential hurdles, as Woo acknowledged that “Telegram does not readily provide investigation data, such as account information, to us or other state investigative bodies, including those in the U.S.” To overcome these challenges, South Korean police plan to collaborate with French investigative authorities and international institutions to develop effective methods for investigating Telegram.
This development follows the recent arrest of Pavel Durov, Telegram’s founder, in France last month. Durov’s arrest was part of a preliminary investigation into alleged failures to prevent criminal uses of the Telegram platform. In a recent escalation, Durov has been formally charged in France for multiple alleged offenses, including crypto-related crimes, organized crime, and child exploitation, further highlighting Telegram’s legal challenges on an international scale.
Scope of the Deepfake Problem
Recent statistics underscores the urgency of the investigation. Between last Monday and Thursday alone, a total of 88 deepfake sex crime reports were filed, with law enforcement identifying 24 individuals as suspects so far. The ongoing investigation extends beyond individual cases, scrutinizing eight automated programs responsible for creating deepfake pornography for Telegram, as well as group chat rooms involved in circulating such content.
As South Korea grapples with this growing digital threat, the investigation into Telegram represents a significant step in holding platforms accountable for the content they host and distribute. The outcome of this probe could have far-reaching implications for how messaging services and social media platforms are regulated in the context of digital sex crimes.
