South Korea Police Investigates Telegram Over Deepfake Porn
Telegram is under heavy scrutiny, with South Korean police investigating its role in deepfake-powered sex crimes targeting victims in the country, including teenagers.
The Dubai-based instant messaging app provider, whose CEO Pavel Durov is being prosecuted by the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office on at least 12 charges, is now suspected of abetting sex crime occurring on its platform.
South Korea’s National Police Agency told press agency Yonhap that a total of 88 deepfake sex crime reports were filed between August 26 and 29, and 24 individuals have been identified as suspects so far.
Eight automated programs creating deepfake pornography for Telegram are under scrutiny, along with group chat rooms responsible for circulating such content.
Read here: England and Wales Introduce Stricter Laws on Revenge Porn and Deepfakes, But Are They Strong Enough?
“Telegram has been non-responsive to our previous requests for account information during investigations of earlier Telegram-linked crimes,” said Woo Jong-soo, head of the investigation bureau at the National Police Agency.
This lack of response prompted the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to launch an internal investigation into the corporate entity of Telegram.
“Telegram does not readily provide investigation data, such as account information, to us or other state investigative bodies, including those in the US,” added Woo.
The South Korean police plan to collaborate with French investigative authorities and international institutions to find methods for investigating Telegram.
Durov, arrested in France on August 24 and indicted four days later, has not been remanded in custody. However, he has been placed under judicial supervision and has to pay a €5m (£4.2m; $5.6m) deposit.
The Russian-born billionaire, who also holds France’s, the UAE’s and Saint Kitts and Nevis’ nationalities, has to show up at a French police station twice a week and is not allowed to leave French territory.
