More trouble for Telegram: Police in South Korea launch probe into whether app abets online sex crimes
File photo of the Telegram logo.
Police in South Korea have launched an investigation into whether Telegram abets online sex crimes, the news agency Reuters reported on Tuesday (Sep3), citing state media. Thedevelopment was reported by the Yonhap news agency, quoting the head of the National Office of Investigation.
The launch of this investigation comes after widespread outrage overdigital deepfake pornography featuring South Korean women, with local media reporting such content is often found in Telegram chatrooms.
Last week, authorities pledged a crackdown onexploitative deepfake crimes in the country. This coincidedwith a French investigation into Telegram founder PavelDurov,as authorities there probe organised crime on the platform.
'Probes into secure messages providers are...'
On Monday, theNational Police Agency's commissioner,Cho Ji-ho, said that his agency was reviewing whetherto investigate secure messaging apps by charging them with abetting crimes.
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On being asked in Parliament about criminal activities on Telegram, Cho said that investigations into secure message providers proved complicated and time-consuming.
South Korea most targeted by deepfake pornography
In 2023, a report by a US-based startup said that South Korea was the country most targeted by deepfake pornography, with its singers and actors contributing 53 per cent of individuals featured in such deepfakes.
According to the police, the number of deepfake sex crime cases so far in 2024 surged to nearly 300,comparedto 156 for all of 2021 when data was first collated.
Last week, President Yoon Suk Yeol called for digital sex crimes to bethoroughly investigated."It's an exploitation of technology while relying on the protection of anonymity. It's a clear criminal act," President Yoon said.
He talked aboutsex crimes on social media in general and did not mention Telegram by name.
(With inputs from agencies)