Still laid-back about deepfake crimes

Measures should be taken to save kids from the deepening risks before it’s too late.

Digital sex crimes are on an upsurge, riding on easier crafting through deepfake and AI-based technologies. In the latest case, a teenager was arrested for selling sexually exploitative materials to his peers and a teacher. Reports of fake and fabricated videos filed with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family surged to 423 last year from 144 in 2019 — and amounted to 726 as of June this year.

Humiliation for the victims, mostly women, is not restricted to the domestic turf. According to a study on the state of deepfake crimes by U.S.-based Security Hero, online deepfake videos topped 95,820 in 2023, of which 53 percent were targeted on Korean women. The rapid spread of the deepfake virus in Korea has become international news. Where is the government and politicians who should be protecting their citizens?

Lawmakers of the National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee lambasted the government office whose minister has been vacant for six months. But lawmakers must share the blame. They only rush to revise laws when serious crimes arise. As many as 33 bills related to sex crimes have been submitted, but most of them were recycled from the shelved bills that went down the drain after the last term of the National Assembly ended.

Since regulations can’t keep up with the evolution in crimes, victims must take matters into their own hands. After frustratingly waiting for the removal of their fake videos, they must hire private agents to erase them. What is urgent is to revise related laws to enable the immediate removal and blockage of sexually exploitative materials and closure of distributing platforms. According to the ministry, over 260,000 out of 940,000 unwanted videos reported since 2020 have yet to be removed.

Punishments also need to be toughened. Of 84 indicted for producing and distributing deepfake sexual content over the last four years, 34 walked free with a suspension on their sentence. Korea should benchmark Britain which has revised the Online Safety Act to make anyone creating a sexually explicit deepfake, even without having the intention of sharing it, subject to punishment. Regulations must be toughened on Telegram which has become a hotbed of distributing illicit images and videos. We should study France’s grounds for arresting the founder and CEO of Telegram for illicit activities. In Korea, users of the discreet chat app have surged, calling for effective actions.

The perpetrators and victims of deepfake crimes are mostly teenagers, which demands more urgent attention to preventive actions than punishments. More than half of the victims also were in their teens. Measures should be taken to save kids from the deepening risks before it’s too late.