Following widespread criticism in South Korea, Telegram announced that it is actively removing deepfake sexual content from its platform.
However, there are concerns about the company's response time to reports of such content.
According to an exclusive report by Newsis, Telegram stated that it has been removing content reported as violating its terms of service and will continue to do so.
The controversy arose after the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) asked Telegram to remove illegal digital sex crime content.
While Telegram complied with the KCSC's request, some organizations were frustrated by Telegram's lack of communication when they reported additional deepfake content.
The platform admitted that the delay was due to misunderstandings caused by their failure to provide feedback on the outcomes of deletion requests.
Deepfakes, which use artificial intelligence to create realistic fake videos or images by combining real faces and fake bodies, have sparked outrage in South Korea.
Recently, several Telegram chatrooms, many of which are run by teenagers, were discovered to be distributing deepfake pornography featuring women, including students and teachers.
Authorities reported over 118 cases of such videos in just five days, prompting a police investigation involving multiple suspects.
Although Telegram has complied with some official requests to remove these videos, questions remain about how quickly the company responds to reports from other organizations, particularly those advocating for victims.
The Digital Sexual Crime Victims Support Center in Korea reported that 66 cases of deepfake content were reported to Telegram but received no response from the platform.
Telegram is currently being investigated by South Korean police for allegedly aiding in the distribution of deepfake content.
Authorities are working with French investigators, who recently arrested Telegram's founder, Pavel Durov, on similar charges.
The South Korean government has pledged to eradicate digital sex crimes, and activists continue to call for stronger action against platforms such as Telegram that host illegal content.