Deepfake and Acquaintance Abuse Punishments Surge... Half Are Teenagers

248 Arrested Since Punishment Law Enforced in June Last Year
110 Under 18 Years Old
Targets Include Celebrities and Acquaintances
"Tracking Methods Need Diversification"

Photo by Getty Images Bank

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Since the enforcement of punishments for deepfake crimes, more than 250 people have been apprehended by the police, with about half of them being teenagers.

According to data obtained by Asia Economy from the National Police Agency on the 21st, since the enforcement of Article 14-2 of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, which can punish deepfake and defamation of acquaintances, from June 25 last year to November this year, there have been 165 cases detected by the police for violations of the provision, and 248 people have been arrested. Among those detained, 9 were confirmed to be in custody. By period, 35 people were caught during the 190 days from June 25 to December 31 last year, right after the law was enacted. In comparison, 213 people were recorded from the beginning of this year until November. Of the total 248 arrested, about 44%, or 110 people, were under 18 years old. Those aged 19 to 30 numbered 47, and those aged 41 and above were 13. No one has been found to have been punished for charges such as organizing criminal groups.

Deepfake is the synthesis of a specific person into a particular video using artificial intelligence (AI) technology and is used in digital sex crimes. When friends, coworkers, or acquaintances are targeted, it is called 'ji-in-neung-yok' (defamation of acquaintances). Article 14-2 of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act stipulates that if images or videos of a person's face, body, or voice are edited, synthesized, or processed against the subject's will in a way that induces sexual desire or shame for the purpose of distribution, the offender shall be punished by imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won. Despite the increase in damage caused by deepfakes, voices have been raised that current laws are insufficient or weak in punishment, leading to the enactment of separate regulations on March 24 last year, which came into effect three months later.

Starting with the Telegram 'Nth Room' case, awareness of cyber pornography crimes has increased, but related offenses continue. Currently, on Telegram, group chat rooms that engage in deepfake and defamation of acquaintances are openly operating. They share deepfake pornography of famous female idol singers and also target ordinary people for defamation of acquaintances. They secretly take photos and videos from social networking services (SNS) and synthesize them with pornography, sharing them indiscriminately.

Professor Lee Geon-su of the Department of Police Science at Baekseok University explained, "With technological advancement, online crimes such as deepfake are expected to increase, and there are likely many crimes that the police have not yet tracked." He added, "To reduce such crimes, it is necessary to strengthen punishments and diversify tracking and investigation techniques to set a strong example." Professor Lee also said, "Teenagers are familiar with computers and learn quickly, making them vulnerable to exposure to crimes," adding, "It is also necessary to conduct preventive education alongside."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.