These contents are montages generated with artificial intelligence in which the faces of individuals are placed on photos or in sexual videos.
South Korean police announced on Monday, September 2, that they have opened an investigation into the Telegram messaging service, which they accuse of:“encourage” the dissemination of fake pornographic content using in particular the image of minors. This content, “deepfake porn”, is pornographic montages generated with artificial intelligence in which the faces of individuals are plastered onto photos or in sexual videos.
“Telegram has not responded to our previous requests for account information [d’utilisateurs] in previous investigations into Telegram-related crimes”said the head of the National Police Investigation Bureau, Woo Jong-soo. “In light of these crimes, the Seoul National Police Agency opened its investigation last week (…) for abetting these crimes.”he added during a press conference of which AFP obtained the transcript.
Six out of ten victims are underage girls
Police received 88 reports over the past week and identified 24 suspects, Woo Jong-soo said. The creators of such illegal content often glean photos of their victims from social media. Police said most of the victims are girls, with 60 percent of them minors.
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 as a means of revenge.
«Deepfakes porn»
In late August, South Korean media outlet Hankyoreh Seoul police said university students were running a Telegram chat group that shared “deepfake porn” of their female classmates, sparking widespread public outrage. The investigation by Seoul police comes after Telegram boss Pavel Durov was arrested in France on August 28.
After four days of indictment, the billionaire was released but is subject to heavy judicial supervision, 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 crime and misdemeanor crimes through the platform. South Korean police have pledged to cooperate with “various investigative bodies, including France,” Woo assured Jong-soo.
