Telegram has issued an apology to South Korean authorities for its handling of deepfake pornographic material shared through its messaging app, amid a surge in digital sex crimes in the country.
This comes shortly after South Korean police announced an investigation into Telegram, accusing the platform of “abetting” the distribution of such content.
Recently, numerous Telegram chatrooms, many operated by teenagers, were found to be creating sexually explicit deepfakes using manipulated photos of young women.
Authorities have reported that Telegram has since removed these videos from its platform.
In a statement to South Korea’s Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), Telegram expressed regret over the situation, describing it as “unfortunate” and apologizing if there was any “misunderstanding.”
Telegram also confirmed that it had removed 25 videos as requested by KCSC and proposed establishing an email address for future communications with the regulator.
The KCSC praised Telegram’s response as “very forward-looking” and noted that the company has “acknowledged the seriousness” of the issue.
Deepfakes, which use artificial intelligence to merge a real person’s face with a fabricated body, have sparked significant outrage in South Korea.
This crisis was further highlighted when journalists uncovered investigations into deepfake porn rings at two major universities in the country.
It later emerged that police received 118 reports of such videos in the last five days. Seven suspects, six of whom are teenagers, have been questioned by the police in the past week.
The chat groups were associated with various schools and universities across South Korea, with many of the victims being students and teachers known to the perpetrators.
In South Korea, individuals found guilty of creating sexually explicit deepfakes can face up to five years in prison and fines of up to 50 million won ($37,500; £28,300).
These revelations come on the heels of the arrest of Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of Telegram, in France.
He faces allegations of child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraud related to activity on the messaging app. Durov has since been charged.
On Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol directed authorities to “thoroughly investigate and address these digital sex crimes to eradicate them.”
Women’s rights activists have criticized South Korean authorities for allegedly allowing sexual abuse to occur on Telegram.
In 2019, it was uncovered that a sex ring had used the app to blackmail dozens of women and children into filming pornographic content. The ring leader, Cho Ju-bin, then 20 years old, was sentenced to 42 years in prison.