South Korea is cracking down on deepfake pornography with severe penalties not only for creators and distributors but also for viewers. An American content creator now faces a possible 31-year prison sentence. Watching such content could land users in jail for three years and cost them up to €19,000 in fines.

In the summer of 2024, South Korean authorities uncovered a massive Telegram network with over 220,000 users sharing deepfake pornographic content created with artificial intelligence. These digitally altered videos and images, which falsely depict real individuals in explicit scenarios, sparked widespread outrage and led to large-scale protests across the country.

Reacting swiftly, the National Assembly passed new legislation in September 2024. The law doesn’t just target creators and distributors of deepfake pornography—it also criminalizes its storage and consumption. Anyone caught simply watching deepfake porn now risks three years behind bars and fines reaching €19,000. Despite the harsh laws, thousands of arrests have already occurred, and the case of a well-known American streamer has captured international attention.

South Korea Struggles with Deepfake Proliferation

In March 2025, the National Bureau of Investigation revealed that 963 individuals had been arrested for producing, distributing, possessing, or viewing deepfake content. Many of them were in their twenties and had created Telegram groups to share manipulated videos of their female classmates, celebrities, and K-pop idols.

Authorities have deleted or blocked more than 10,000 such videos. The issue took a global turn when a popular American streamer was charged with allegedly creating and distributing deepfake content of two South Korean female streamers without their consent. The accused now faces a staggering potential prison sentence of 31 years, though the trial is still ongoing.

Although Telegram has pledged cooperation with law enforcement to stem the tide of deepfake porn, victims report that the takedown process is often too slow, allowing offenders to shift to other platforms with ease.

Experts argue that beyond education and awareness campaigns, the key to combatting deepfakes lies in automated detection and removal systems. However, implementing such measures poses complex challenges involving privacy rights and the differing terms of service across platforms. Officials are also discussing the possibility of fining platforms that fail to curb the spread and storage of deepfake content, while increasing penalties for those who continue to create, share, or even watch it.

Source: 3djuegos