The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) announced on the 19th that Telegram had communicated their position on taking strict measures against illegal information and copyright violations. On November 9th, Telegram designated a Youth Protection Officer and provided a hotline in response to the KCC’s request aimed at encouraging stricter self-regulation. The Commission noted that most distribution of deepfake sexual crime materials had recently been occurring via Telegram, prompting this action.
Telegram responded promptly within two days by designating the Youth Protection Officer and sharing a hotline email for administrative communication. They confirmed their willingness to cooperate closely by responding to a test email within four hours.
Kim Woo-seok, the head of the Digital Harmful Information Response Division at KCC, explained during a meeting with journalists that establishing a hotline was part of their effort to ensure Telegram complies with domestic laws by designating a Youth Protection Officer. He noted that recent monitoring of domestic media by Telegram might have influenced their quick response, and the voluntary regulation response was seen as a positive step. Additionally, the Korea Communications Standards Commission and other agencies have established hotlines with Telegram, which could lead to shared information if necessary.
Kim also mentioned that by officially designating a Youth Protection Officer as per legal regulations, Telegram is now much closer to fulfilling the requirements to designate a domestic agent.
Looking forward, KCC plans to cooperate with Telegram’s Youth Protection Officer to ensure effective blocking and management of harmful youth content. This collaboration would aim to support the Officer in fulfilling roles defined by the “Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.”
Kim Tae-kyu, acting chairman of the commission, stressed the importance of building trust with users and society as Telegram’s user base and recognition grow domestically. He emphasized reinforcing communication with KCC as crucial for building trust and urged Telegram to fulfill its social responsibility by actively preventing the distribution of illegal content, such as deepfake sexual crime materials.
Telegram has historically focused on security and secret chat rooms while maintaining limited communication with governments and public institutions. However, with the frequent distribution of illegal information through shared chat room links and passwords to the general public, and illegal content on public channels, KCC has determined that public regulation and review should apply to such Telegram services.