Telegram is facing a second investigation into criminal activity on the messaging platform.
The company made user privacy a central pillar in its service as a messaging app but is now facing investigations into its practices from two sides. Just days after co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested and charged in France with allowing criminality to flourish on the platform, South Korean police then announced a probe to investigate the messaging app’s alleged role in distributing AI-generated, deepfake pornography on Monday (Sep. 2).
The Seoul National Police Agency first launched its probe last week, according to AFP, after concerns were raised that Telegram was complicit with distributing sexually explicit deepfake content online. This goes hand in hand with the South Korean government pledging to crack down on sexually exploitative deepfake crimes.
Deepfake pornography involves AI-generated images or videos that put a real person’s face over a fake body or pornographic material of another person. It has been known to be used on both celebrities and everyday people and has been a growing source of outrage in South Korea, with victims among young women and girls.
As Telegram’s messaging services are encrypted and the company claims to take a hands-off approach to content moderation, the South Korean authorities allege that Telegram could be doing more to counteract illegal content.
While the South Korean investigation was launched to look into the dissemination of illegal pornographic content, the French investigation is charging Durov with complicity in illegal activities on its platform, including child abuse, drug trafficking, and fraud. Accusations Durov’s legal team refute.
The South Korean investigation was launched after Durov’s arrest in Paris. Woo Jong-soo, head of the National Office of Investigation, told local press that police intend to work with both French and international authorities, noting that Telegram has allegedly not cooperated in similar investigations in the past.
When asked by Readwrite about the investigation by South Korean authorities, a spokesperson for Telegram said: “Telegram has been actively removing content reported from Korea that breached its terms of service and will continue to do so.
“By default, the reporting email addresses do not provide feedback on the outcome of a takedown request, which may have been a reason for confusion.”
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