Telegram logo displayed on a broken phone screen. Illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on August 27, 2024.
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Following the recent arrest of its founder in France, Telegram is now facing potential legal troubles in South Korea.
The country’s chief police investigator has announced a preliminary investigation into the instant-messaging platform’s alleged role in abetting sex crimes, according to a report from the local Yonhap News Agency.
This comes against the backdrop of South Korea’s efforts to tackle the spread of deepfake pornography that has been targeting young women, including teenagers, in the country.
The probe also poses another major legal challenge to Telegram after its founder and chief executive, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France on Aug. 24 for alleged offenses related to the messaging app.
Parallels in the cases
Durov, the 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire, was arrested by French authorities following a preliminary investigation into Telegram launched on July 8.
Similar to South Korea’s investigation, French authorities were probing the platform’s rolein the distribution …