South Korean police have launched an investigation into the popular Telegram messenger.
As you know, not so long ago its founder Pavel Durov was detained in France.
Seoul is investigating crimes related to deepfakes of a sexual nature.
What the police say
MIA Rossiya Segodnya reported this with reference to the South Korean agency Yonhap, which, in turn, refers to a police statement.
Just like in France, the Seoul Police Department has launched a preliminary investigation into Telegram, said Woo Jung-soo, head of the National Police Investigation Department.
According to him, the site is suspected of facilitating a number of crimes, in particular those related to the distribution of fake videos.
An investigation is also being conducted into other crimes in which, in the opinion of law enforcement officers, the messenger may be involved.
However, local police say that they encountered certain difficulties during the investigation.
It is explained that they are due to the fact that Telegram does not provide the police with the necessary information, for example, account data.
This does not mean that we have not detained criminals using Telegram at all, we have our own methods of investigation, and we are doing everything possible,” the police noted.
8 bots
Please note: South Korean police are conducting an investigation into Telegram for the first time.
The government of the country pointed out the growing concern of the international community about the fact that crimes are committed through the messenger.
Therefore, Seoul expressed its determination to actively investigate all such incidents in its country.
The police are currently conducting a preliminary investigation into 8 messenger bots that automatically create deepfakes of a sexual nature.
As part of this case, law enforcement officers are studying group chats on this site, in which, according to their data, such content is distributed.
The possibility of charges of complicity and aiding, including those who created the bots mentioned above, cannot be ruled out.
Police note that between August 26 and August 29, 88 reports were received related to crimes of a sexual nature in which deepfakes were used.
Law enforcement officials have so far managed to identify 24 suspected citizens.
