Telegram has removed some pornographic content after a request from South Korea’s media regulator, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday. In late August, South Korean media outlet Hankyoreh reported that students were running a Telegram chat group that circulated pornographic content. «deepfake porn» of their female comrades, a case which caused a scandal.
South Korean police announced Monday that they have opened an investigation into Telegram, accusing it of“encourage” the dissemination of such fake pornographic content, particularly using images of minors. «deepfake porn» are pornographic montages generated with artificial intelligence, in which people’s faces are placed on photos or in sexual videos.
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Harmful content closely monitored
Following a request from the regulatory authority, the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), the messaging service Telegram announced that it had removed 25 pieces of content that were of a sexually exploitative nature, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday. “Telegram also apologized for miscommunication on the matter and provided a dedicated email address for future communications with the media regulator.”Yonhap added, citing the KCSC.
Online crime is rife in South Korea, activists say, including the exploitation of spy cameras and the posting of «revenge porn» (private pornographic content shared without consent for revenge). After the announcement of a police investigation in South Korea, the Telegram messaging service assured on Monday that it “actively monitored harmful content on its platform, including illegal pornography”.
The investigation opened by the Seoul police comes after the arrest on August 28 in France of Telegram boss Pavel Durov. After four days in police custody, the billionaire was released but is subject to a heavy judicial review including a ban on leaving French territory. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, he is being indicted in particular for: “refusal to communicate information necessary for interceptions authorized by law” and complicity in organized crimes and offenses through the platform.
