Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Telegram vows to delete deepfakes targeting Koreans
The Telegram app logo is seen on a smartphone in this September 2017 file photo. Telegram's spokesperson told The Korea Times that it would delete sexually explicit deepfake content targeting Koreans as the Dubai-based messaging company moves to bolster cooperation with the Korean government. Reuters-Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
Chat program operator more responsive to content removal requests after CEO’s arrest: official
Telegram has vowed to delete sexually explicit deepfake content targeting Korean people as the Dubai-based messaging company moves to bolster cooperation with the Korean government.
Speaking to The Korea Times recently, Telegram spokesperson Remi Vaughn vowed a “zero-tolerance” policy against any illegal content and said it would join the Korean government's efforts to protect the victims.
“Telegram has a zero-tolerance policy for illegal pornography and moderators remove it whenever it is discovered,” Vaughn said in a Telegram message. “If you have discovered any such content in your reporting, I would greatly appreciate it if you shared links with me so moderators can investigate.”
The spokesperson also said Telegram is cooperating with the government by setting up a hotline and providing officials with the contact details of its designated managers.
This comes as the Korea Communications Commission, the country’s media regulation agency, is urging the company to strengthen its monitoring of such content. In a statement released at a press briefing, Tuesday, Kim Tae-gyu, the acting chairperson of the organization, said Telegram should "be more responsible" in managing what is shared on its platform, especially amid increasing concerns over sexually explicit deepfake content targeting women, including minors.
The commission also said Telegram pledged to designate a content management official for child safety.
For years, Telegram has been a preferred platform for criminals and others engaged in illicit activities or spreading harmful content, all under the protection of the company’s end-to-end encryption and privacy-first policy. The platform largely ignored cooperation requests from governments or their agencies until very recently.
According to officials assisting victims of non-consensual distribution of intimate images, Telegram has become noticeably more responsive to requests for removing such content since early October.
“Telegram had not responded to any of our inquiries regarding illegal content on the platform since I started working here in April 2018. But these days, the company has apparently become more responsive,” said one of the team directors at the Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea, a state-run institution tasked with promoting equal rights for women.
“Telegram still ignores our specific questions, offering no responses. But it appears to have taken action to our reports about criminal activities happening in certain chat rooms … For example, one or two days after our report, the problematic chat room suddenly disappears. I first sensed the change of attitude about one and a half months ago.”
The director believes the recent arrest of Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, might have prompted the company to shift its stance on handling illicit content. Durov was arrested in France on Aug. 24 in connection with allegations that his platform was being used for unlawful activities, including drug trafficking and the distribution of child pornography.
While the same level of penalty for platform operators may not be possible under Korean law, the government said earlier this month that it can impose fines on them for failing to prevent illegal content — and intends to do so more aggressively under the current rules.
“Despite rampant deepfake and other illegal content, the government has not held platform operators such as Telegram accountable for their alleged roles. I think it would be symbolic, maybe even necessary, to take action to send them a clear message,” the director said.