Why South Korea is on high alert over deepfake sex crimes
By Hyunsu Yim
SEOUL, Aug 30 (Reuters) -South Korean regulators and police this week vowed to combat sexually exploitative deepfakes, urging Telegram and other social media companies to cooperate with them as they crack down on the practice.
WHAT HAS CAUSED THE RECENT UPROAR IN SOUTH KOREA?
Several domestic media outlets reported recently that sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of South Korean women were often found in Telegram chatrooms.
Around the same time, South Korean feminist groups and international K-pop fans became more active on social media, calling for action and sharing tips on how to expose such chatrooms.
The outcry also follows the sentencing this month of a man for his involvement in a deepfake pornography case that targeted female students at Seoul National University.
Gender issues are particularly sensitive in South Korea and are debated fiercely across many public forums.
ARE SEXUAL DEEPFAKES MORE PREVALENT IN SOUTH KOREA?
South Korea is the country most targeted by deepfake pornography, with its singers and actresses constituting 53% of the individuals featured in such deepfakes, according to a 2023 report on deepfakes globally by Security Hero, a U.S. startup focused on identity theft protection.
South Korean police say the number of deepfake sex crime cases they have taken on so far this year has surged to 297. That compares to 156 for all of 2021 when data was first collated. Most victims and perpetrators are teenagers, they say.
South Korea has also had to grapple with a series of high-profile digital sex crime cases in recent years, ranging from an online sex blackmail ring to spycam porn.
WHAT ARE AUTHORITIES DOING?
The crackdown on sexual deepfakes by South Korea has coincided with Pavel Durov, Telegram's Russian-born founder, being put under formal investigation in France this week as authorities there probe organized crime on the messaging app.
In addition to urging social media firms to more actively cooperate with the deleting and blocking of such content, South Korea's media regulator has asked French authorities for regular cooperation in Telegram-related problems and facilitating direct communication with Telegram.
Additionally, the South Korean government said on Friday it will push for tougher laws to make the purchase or viewing of sexually exploitative deepfakes a criminal act.
South Korean police are planning a seven-month push to crack down on digital sex crimes. The number of regulatory personnel monitoring such matters will be boosted and a 24-hour hotline for victims will be established.
HOW ARE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES RESPONDING?
Telegram has said in a statement to Reuters it actively moderates harmful content on its platform including illegal pornography.
YouTube this week demonetized a channel with more than one million subscribers owned by a right-wing South Korean YouTuber and removed one of his videos after he downplayed the seriousness of deepfake crimes and mocked women for expressing concern.
It cited violations of the platform's harassment policies and said it was "committed to eradicating digital sex crimes on our platform."
Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Edwina Gibbs
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.