Along with police agencies, South Korean officials have stepped up this week to fight the rising threat of sexually exploitative deepfakes. The administration has urged Telegram and other social media channels to fully assist in a crackdown on this alarming trend, so addressing public concern across the nation.
What Set off the Recent Outcry in South Korea
Reports from many domestic media sources exposing the pervasive existence of sexually explicit deepfake photographs and videos of South Korean women in Telegram chatrooms set off the current frenzy in South Korea. This revelation has started a national conversation on internet sex crimes once more.
Simultaneously, worldwide K-pop aficioners and South Korean feminist groups have been more active on social media, hence magnifying demands for action. These groups have coordinated plans for revealing these chat rooms and raising awareness of the problem. Protests in Seoul, where people sporting eye masks carried placards stating, “Repeated deepfake sex crimes, the state is an accomplice too,” brought the activism to a crescendo and highlighted the deep-seated irritation over the problem.
This public outcry also corresponds with the recent sentence of a man engaged in a deepfake pornographic case aiming at Seoul National University female students. Already a delicate subject in South Korea, gender concerns have become more important as these online sex crimes cause strong discussion all throughout the nation.
Does South Korea constitute a hotspot for sexual deepfakes?
Deepfake pornography now targets South Korea quite heavily. A US business focused on identity theft protection, Security Hero’s 2023 research claims that 53% of the people shown in deepfake pornography globally are South Korean singers and actors. This concerning figure emphasizes the scope of the national crisis.
With 297 cases handled thus far this year, a notable increase from the 156 incidents documented in 2021 when data collecting on the subject started, the South Korean police have reported a clear rise in deepfake sex crime cases. Most victims and offenders engaged in these crimes are shockingly teenagers.
From an online sex blackmail ring to the broad use of spycam pornography, the nation has been struggling with a number of well-publicized digital sex crime instances recently. These events have simply raised public knowledge of and concern for the problem of digital sexual exploitation.
What Action Authorities Are Taking
The news that Pavel Durov, the Russian-born Telegram founder, is under official inquiry in France as police there look at coordinated crime operations on the messaging service coincides with South Korea’s crackdown on sexual deepfakes. This evolution gives South Korea’s attempts to solve the problem more urgency.
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In response, the media regulator of South Korea has advised social media firms to act more aggressively in removing and censoring damaging material. The regulator has also contacted French authorities in search of consistent collaboration on Telegram-related concerns and direct communication with the platform to help to solve the situation more precisely.
Furthermore, the government of South Korea declared intentions to advocate stricter rules aiming at criminalizing the purchase or viewing of sexually exploitative deepfakes. This legislative project is a component of a larger campaign to stop such material from proliferating.
Furthermore, South Korean authorities have started a seven-month campaign aiming at combating online sex crimes. This initiative will see more people committed to tracking these crimes as well as a 24-hour helpline set to help victims.
What Are Social Media Companies Doing
Reacting to these changes, Telegram has said that it actively filters illegal pornography and other damaging materials on its site. Still up for debate among activists and detractors, though, is how well these policies work.
YouTube has meantime acted against a right-wing South Korean YouTuber with more than a million followers. The platform demonetized the channel and deleted a video where the YouTuber minimized the gravity of deepfake crimes and made fun of women for voicing concern. YouTube reiterated its resolve to eradicate digital sex crimes from its site and mentioned infractions of its harassment rules.
Rising sexually exploitative deepfake problems in South Korea have spurred a strong reaction from social media channels as well as the authorities. The nation is acting decisively to counteract this increasing threat as authorities advocate stricter rules and more cooperation with social media corporations. The fight against digital sex crimes is far from done, though, and constant alertness will be required to guard victims and punish offenders responsible.
