Eight arrested for creating and distributing deepfake videos of HYBE artists
Korean police arrested eight people on charges of creating and distributing deepfake videos of HYBE artists, following a joint investigation enabled by a cooperation agreement between the entertainment company and authorities.
What happened
Korea's Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency arrested eight individuals suspected of creating and distributing deepfake videos of HYBE Music Group artists.
Six of the arrested individuals were operating chatrooms on Telegram where they distributed the illicit content they created using the faces of HYBE artists. The investigation was launched following a Memorandum of Understanding between HYBE and the police signed in February 2024, and was enabled by critical digital evidence supplied by HYBE to law enforcement.
Reported impact
HYBE CEO Jason Jaesang Lee stated that deepfake crimes infringe on artists' portrait rights and reputations. District chief Ho-seung Kim of the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency noted that deepfake crimes targeting celebrities are on the rise and can destroy the daily lives of victims.
Governance controls
HYBE signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency in February 2024 to combat cybercrimes targeting its artists.
HYBE launched an Artist Rights Protection Report Center in September 2024, which played a significant role in the investigation by enabling fan-submitted reports of deepfake content. HYBE stated a 'zero-tolerance and no-settlement policy' toward crimes infringing on artists' rights and indicated it will continue to monitor and take legal action against such offenses.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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