Expert urges gov’t to require companies to delete deepfake content

Social network platform companies should be obligated to delete deepfake pornographic materials or face penalties if they do not comply as part of efforts to root out deepfake crimes, a criminal profiler said Tuesday. Lee Soo-jung, a forensic psychology professor at Kyonggi University in Seoul, made the remark during a policy debate hosted by the Women's Human Rights Institute of Korea and Rep. Jo Eun-hui of the ruling People Power Party, saying now is the time to put children and adolescents ahead of businesses. "Today, many users are moving to various platforms overseas, where it's harder for authorities to investigate," Lee said. "This makes it challenging for government institutions to respond to victims' requests to delete such illegal content." Currently, the state agency tackling digital sex crimes asks platforms to delete illegal content, such as deepfake materials, but the process is severely hindered as the agency has no legal authority to coerce the action. "In South Korea, the government step s forward to get them deleted, but in foreign countries, it is companies that delete them," Lee said. "If the gender ministry has the power to claim damages, we can topple related crimes." In Britain, Lee said, the Online Safety Act was enacted last year, prompting platform companies to monitor and delete illegal content as part of efforts to protect children and adults online. In Australia, they outright banned the creation of deepfakes under the Online Safety Act 2021, she said. Lee also called for stronger punishment for perpetrators, the formation of a professional task force and an expansion of undercover investigations of the dark web. "People living in an insecure society do not have kids nor get married," Lee said. Source: Yonhap News Agency