Telegram deepfake s*x crimes: K-pop community unites, urges agencies for better protections of girl groups

Trigger Warning: Descriptions of rape and sexual assault.

One disturbing issue, though not yet a major concern in South Korea, is the widespread presence of chat rooms on Telegram created by thousands of boys and men. These rooms are dedicated to illegal, sexually exploitative deepfake images of young women and girls from universities, high schools, and even middle schools. In fact, some rooms even share photos of the family members, including their sisters, mothers, and even daughters.

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It has recently come to light that these men are using AI technology to morph the faces of even K-pop girl groups in the country. The K-pop community, already urging South Korean media and the government to take action against the Telegram deepfake s*x crimes, is now pressuring agencies managing various girl groups to protect their idols. This issue is even more concerning given that many of these idols are minors who began their K-pop careers at a very young age.

Many fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) have been posting about these horrific crimes and urging other fans, regardless of which group they support, to unite against this issue are using the hashtag #PROTECT_OUR_IDOLS and adding the agency name to protect the groups.

What are the secret Telegram s*x rooms?

Numerous social media accounts, particularly on X have exposed a disturbing trend: Telegram chat rooms dedicated to distributing illegal deepfake pornography, organized by region and school. A user on X posted screenshots and wrote, "In South Korea, a large-scale sexual crime ring using Telegram has been discovered again in recent days. 220,000 men were in a secret Telegram room where AI was used to photoshop women's faces into porn. So Korean feminists are busy. We are trying to make this known overseas."

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The user even added, "Most victims are unable to refuse men's demands to rape them, as it would prevent the video, along with their personal information, from being made public. So, there is a very high probability that rape has already occurred in such secret Telegram rooms."

What about Telegram CEO Pavel Durov?

Fans are hoping for a swift response to this major issue, especially following the recent arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France. According to CNN, Durov was arrested at a Paris airport on August 24 and has since been released from police custody and transferred to court for further questioning. 

The Paris prosecutor's office has stated that the Russian-born billionaire will face "initial questioning and possible indictment" at a court in the French capital. The arrest stems from allegations that Telegram is being used for illegal activities, including drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse images.

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