South Korea launches Telegram probe over deepfake crimes

South Korean police have launched an investigation into messaging platform Telegram over deepfake crimes, Yonhap news agency reported on Monday, citing a senior police official.

The probe will examine whether it had been abetting distribution of sexually explicit deepfake content, Yonhap said, quoting the head of the National Office of Investigation.

An official at the National Police Agency's cyber investigation bureau declined to confirm the report when reached by telephone.

South Korean authorities have called on Telegram and other social media platforms for cooperation in fighting sexually explicit deepfake content.

The steps follow reports by several domestic media outlets that sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of South Korean women were often found in Telegram chatrooms.

Telegram could not immediately be reached for comment but the company last week said it actively moderates harmful content on its platform.

"Moderators use a combination of proactive monitoring of public parts of the platform, sophisticated AI tools and user reports in order to remove millions of pieces of harmful content each day," it said in a statement.

Deepfakes are generated using artificial intelligence, and often combine the face of a real person with a fake body.