The South Korean police have launched a preliminary investigation against the messaging network “Telegram” on Monday, accusing it of negligence and complicity in allowing a series of sexual crimes related to deepfake technology.
The investigation was launched days after a Telegram group appeared with over 220,000 users sharing manipulated pornographic materials, including involving minors created using artificial intelligence. Between Monday and Thursday last week, 88 complaints were filed regarding these events.
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated, “The charges relate to complicity in this crime.” Chief investigator Woo Jong Soo acknowledged the extensive challenges involved in the operation, as Telegram typically does not provide data such as account information, as reported by Yonhap Agency.
Last week, the South Korean government requested Telegram and other social media companies to remove this type of content from their platforms due to the increase in such crimes, which have mainly affected groups of students and young teenagers nationwide.
This comes as Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was officially charged last week in France for his alleged responsibility in various crimes committed through the platform, including the dissemination of child pornography.
