September 4, 2024 at 12:34AM
Telegram has cooperated with South Korean authorities by taking down 25 videos of sex crimes and apologizing for the content. South Korea’s Communications Standards Commission expressed hope for a productive relationship and requested an email hotline for rapid takedown requests. The situation also involves French authorities detaining Telegram’s boss over content and South Korea facing a deepfake crisis.
From the meeting notes, it is clear that the controversial social network Telegram has cooperated with South Korean authorities and taken down 25 videos depicting sex crimes. The South Korea’s Communications Standards Commission has expressed hope for a productive relationship with Telegram and expects the platform to provide an email hotline to facilitate rapid takedown requests.
The Commission’s statement also acknowledges Telegram’s forward-looking position and its will to cooperate in the future. The “current situation” in South Korea includes the detention and charging of Telegram boss Pavel Durov by French authorities, as well as the deepfake crisis declared by South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol. The president has sought to mobilize local authorities to fight against the epidemic of digital sex crimes, particularly deepfake sexual images being shared online.
There has been an indication of the South Korean government’s efforts to seek assistance from French authorities to address the issue of deepfake sexual crime videos on Telegram. However, concerns have been raised by Human Rights Watch regarding the government’s delayed and somewhat token actions in addressing online gender-based violence in South Korea.
It is noted that Telegram’s blog and social feeds have made no mention of its actions in South Korea, making it uncertain whether the apology and assistance offered represent a change of direction after Durov’s detention. Additionally, Human Rights Watch has criticized the South Korean government for not taking digital sex crimes seriously enough and being aware of the issue for years without adequate action.