South Korea is the latest country to face legal troubles with Telegram.

• In South Korea, Telegram may face legal issues due to the arrest of its founder in France.
• According to a report from the local Yonhap News Agency, the country is examining the instant-messaging platform's possible involvement in facilitating sex offenses.
• On Aug. 24, Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, was apprehended in France for similar allegations.

In South Korea, Telegram may face legal issues due to the arrest of its founder in France.

According to a report from the local Yonhap News Agency, the country's chief police investigator has announced a preliminary investigation into the instant-messaging platform's alleged role in facilitating sex crimes.

Efforts are being made in South Korea to combat the spread of deepfake pornography, which has been affecting young women, including teenagers, in the country.

Another legal challenge to Telegram has arisen after its founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France on Aug. 24 for alleged offenses related to the messaging app.

Parallels in the cases

On July 8, a preliminary investigation into Telegram was launched by French authorities, resulting in the arrest of Durov, the 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire.

French authorities were also investigating the platform's involvement in the spread of pornographic images of minors, as well as its role in organized crime, drug trafficking, and fraud, similar to South Korea's investigation.

Durov was reportedly accused of not doing enough to stop criminal activities on the platform. Telegram stated in a social media post that it follows EU laws and that Durov had "nothing to hide."

On Monday, Woo Jong-soo, head of the National Office of Investigation, stated that their case was linked to the one in France and that they planned to cooperate with their French counterparts and other international institutions, as reported by Yonhap.

According to Woo, the investigation could be made more difficult due to Telegram's policy of not providing investigation data, such as account information, to any state investigative bodies, including those in the U.S.

The French investigation has taken note of Telegram's refusal to share information with investigators as required by law.

In addition to Durov's arrest, the platform has faced legal issues in other countries, including Brazil and Germany, over concerns about illegal and harmful content.

Telegram troubles

Government scrutiny has focused on certain features of Telegram, despite the platform's claims that its content moderation practices are improving and in line with industry standards.

The app provides a high level of anonymity by requiring only a phone number for registration and allowing users to hold encrypted conversations through a "secret chats" feature.

In South Korea, anonymous features on the platform are drawing distributors of deepfake porn.

Generative AI technology has led to an increase in the prevalence of deepfakes, which are digitally altered and manipulated videos, sounds, or images of real people.

According to Yonhap's report, South Korean authorities are investigating eight automated programs that produce deepfake pornography for Telegram groups and chat rooms that distribute such content.

Amid mounting pressure on authorities, investigations into the use of Telegram groups for sharing sexually exploitative deepfake images of female students have been launched. Some groups, with up to 220,000 members, have been implicated in the distribution of these images.

In South Korea, a sex crime scandal has once again involved Telegram.

In 2020, a South Korean ringleader was arrested for blackmailing and coercing women and children into sharing explicit images via Telegram. No legal action was taken against Telegram at the time.

GWI's consumer and tech analyst Chris Beer stated on CNBC's "Street Signs Europe" that the extent to which authorities would regulate and crack down on Telegram following Durov's arrest was uncertain. Other messaging and social media apps could also be subject to scrutiny.

The tension between consumers' desire for free speech and government oversight to protect them from harmful content remains.