South Korea announces crackdown on deepfake abuse amid surge in explicit content
South Korea announced a crackdown on deepfake pornography in response to a surge in nonconsensual explicit deepfake videos targeting women and girls. The government announced tougher punishments, expanded undercover investigations, and increased regulation of social media platforms, with police having already detained 506 suspects during the year.
What happened
South Korea announced on 6 November 2024 a package of steps to curb a surge in deepfake pornography, which involves nonconsensual explicit video contents that were digitally manipulated.
Concerns deepened after unconfirmed lists of schools with victims spread online in August 2024, prompting girls and women to remove photos and videos from social media platforms and hold rallies calling for stronger action.
Police have detained 506 suspects in 2024 on deepfake porn-related crimes, with 411 of them aged between 10 and 19 years old.
Reported impact
Terrified girls and women removed photos and videos from Instagram, Facebook and other social media accounts in response to the spread of explicit deepfake content.
Citizens held rallies calling for stronger steps against deepfake pornography and digital sexual crimes targeting women and children.
Index analysis
The government announced increased penalties, making acts of watching or possessing deepfake porn illegal and punishable with up to three years in prison, with maximum punishment for production or distribution increased from five to seven years in prison.
Governance controls
Police are conducting a seven-month special crackdown continuing until March 2025, with plans to expand undercover online investigations beyond cases with minor victims to include adult victims.
The government plans to increase monitors on social media platforms to 26 from the current 12, and will push to impose fines on social media platforms more aggressively when they fail to prevent the spread of illegal deepfake content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.