A call for strong action, deepfake digital pornography

In August 2024, MBC News exclusively reported a major digital sex crime involving the distribution of illegal deepfake pornography targeting students and teachers via Telegram group chats. The scale of this crime is believed to be vast and uncontrollable, leaving students across the country—from elementary to high schools—fearing that they might have fallen victim.

The distribution of deepfake pornography through Telegram is a blatant example of digital sex crime. The greatest issue with this situation is that such widespread criminal activity cannot be addressed on an individual level. Students have had no choice but to take personal measures, such as removing their photos from social media accounts and setting their profiles to private. Many are left anxiously checking lists of users in certain chatrooms, relying on unverified information out of fear that their images may have been used in these illegal materials. The most commonly used resource, a deepfake victim school map viewed by over 3 million people, was created by a middle school student in just two hours, using civilian-reported data to mark affected schools.

Despite confirming that incidents have occurred, schools were largely unable to take decisive action. Reports indicate that schools warned students about the risk of personal data leaks and gathered female students in auditoriums to stress the seriousness of the situation. These inadequate actions from educational authorities are now being criticized. While there are promises to establish collaborative bodies to quickly block illegal content through automatic regulatory systems, the reality is that once deepfake material is uploaded, it remains permanently archived online and cannot be fully erased.

This is not the first time concerns have been raised about the dangers of digital sex crimes using deepfake technology. Despite numerous warnings that artificial intelligence, which should be used to enhance convenience, could be misused for criminal purposes, the government has responded passively. Past incidents, such as hidden-camera(몰래카메라) crimes and the Nth Room child pornography case, have shown the potential for similar crimes to occur again, yet preventive systems were not implemented in time to stop this new wave of criminal activity. The government has faced harsh criticism for its failure to act preemptively, only forming a ‘dedicated organization’ after pressure from student and teacher groups. However, even the effectiveness of this organization and its role are now under scrutiny.

"Our lives are not pornography." This was one of the signs held during a protest at Hyehwa Station on September 21, where demonstrators called for stronger penalties against deepfake sex crimes. Public interest may rise and fall quickly. Therefore, the need for sustained attention and action is crucial. To ensure that people can live securely, without fear of falling victim to such crimes, a continued and active response is required from society.