[Disability Awareness Column] Protecting Vulnerable Groups, Including People with Disabilities, from Deepfake Crimes

Deepfake cybercrime: Attention needed to protect the vulnerable, including people with disabilities and the elderly
Cybercrime and Deepfake victimization: Current Status and Countermeasures

1. Current Status of Deepfake Victimization
In recent years, crimes utilizing deepfake technology have rapidly increased among cybercrimes.
According to statistics from the Korean National Police Agency, deepfake-related crimes increased by 30% in 2023 compared to the previous year, accounting for approximately 8.6% of all cybercrimes. Critically, the victims are not limited to ordinary citizens; celebrities, public figures, and even people with disabilities are increasingly targeted, making it a serious social problem.

Analysis of cybercrime data from the Public Data Portal shows that the number of deepfake-related crimes that occurred in 2022 was as follows: △Cyber financial crime (using messenger scams): 24,067 cases △Cyber financial crime (other): 2,884 cases △Violation of personal location information: 2,421 cases △Cyber copyright infringement: 1,218 cases △Other information and communication network usage crimes: 3,259 cases △Cyber pornography (general pornography): 1,366 cases △Cyber pornography (child pornography): 2,384 cases △Cyber pornography (illegal filming distribution): 2,232 cases △Cyber gambling (sports toto): 4,291 cases △Cyber gambling (horse racing, motor racing, motorboat racing): 1,709 cases △Cyber gambling (casino): 3,193 cases △Cyber gambling (other): 3,884 cases △Cyber defamation (insult): 22,042 cases
△Cyber stalking: 7,687 cases △Other illegal content: 1,769 cases, etc.

2. Victimization of People with and without Disabilities
Deepfake crimes have a particularly serious impact on people with disabilities. Deepfake crimes targeting people with disabilities account for approximately 15% of the total number of victimization cases, indicating their greater social vulnerability. Victims with disabilities experience even greater mental anguish and often suffer from a loss of social trust.

Victims without disabilities also suffer significant harm from deepfake crimes. Their image and reputation are damaged, impacting not only their personal lives but also their professional lives.

3. Social Cost of Damages
The social cost of deepfake crimes is enormous. Based on the data presented and assumptions, if the average cost incurred by victims is approximately ₩11 million, and assuming 1,000 deepfake crimes occur annually, the total damage amounts to approximately ₩1.1 trillion. This imposes a significant economic burden not only on individuals but also on society as a whole.

4. Prevention Activities and Victim Support
The following efforts are necessary to prevent deepfake crimes and support victims:

△Strengthening preventative education: Programs that raise awareness of the dangers of deepfake crimes and teach preventative measures should be expanded. In particular, customized educational programs for people with disabilities should be developed to prevent greater harm.

△Strengthening legal penalties: Legal penalties for deepfake crimes should be strengthened to increase the deterrent effect. Crimes targeting people with disabilities should be subject to aggravated penalties.

△Strengthening victim support: A system should be established that can provide victims with swift and effective support. Digital sex crime victim support centers should be strengthened, and professional counselors and legal experts should be deployed to help victims understand and access legal procedures easily.

3. Comprehensive Case Studies and Problems of Victimization of People with and without Disabilities
Deepfake crimes can victimize anyone, but people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable. Deepfake crimes targeting people with disabilities account for approximately 15% of the total number of victimization cases, reflecting their greater social isolation. Similarly, victims without disabilities suffer greatly from deepfake crimes, impacting their personal and professional lives.

4. National Budget Supporting the Prevention of Digital Content Victimization: Investment Status and Results
In 2023, the South Korean government allocated approximately ₩50 billion to prevent deepfake crimes. This budget was used in various areas, including preventative education programs, strengthening legal penalties, strengthening victim support systems, and research and development of technological countermeasures. As a result, preventative education has raised awareness of the dangers of deepfake crimes among many people, and the strengthening of legal penalties and infrastructure has established a system for swiftly investigating and punishing deepfake crimes.

5. Real-life Cases of Deepfake Victimization and the Direction of National Policy for Protecting the Vulnerable
Deepfake crimes particularly harm the vulnerable. Therefore, the government is setting the following policy directions:

△Strengthening preventative education: Expand programs that educate on the dangers and prevention of deepfake crimes, with a focus on customized education for youth and people with disabilities.

△Strengthening legal penalties: Strengthen legal penalties for deepfake crimes to increase deterrence. Crimes targeting people with disabilities will receive aggravated penalties.

△Strengthening the victim support system: Expand victim support centers and deploy professional counselors and legal experts to ensure victims receive prompt support.

△Research and development of technological countermeasures: Continuously support research into the development of deepfake detection and blocking technologies.

Currently, there is a lack of accurate and systematic big data analysis results regarding the number of deepfake incidents targeting people with disabilities and their impact. The reasons are as follows:

Difficulty in data collection: Deepfakes are often created and distributed covertly, making it difficult to determine the exact number of incidents. Victims with disabilities are particularly hesitant to report incidents, and even if they do, the cases may be downplayed or concealed.

Ambiguity of definition: The definition of deepfakes is unclear, and the rapid pace of technological advancement continuously introduces new types of deepfakes. This makes it difficult to define the scope of data analysis and accurately assess the scale of damage.
△Lack of specialized personnel: There is a shortage of specialized personnel and budget for analyzing deepfake technology, hindering systematic research.

Potential Impact
Although precise statistics are lacking, deepfake incidents targeting people with disabilities can have the following serious impacts:

Severe mental anguish: The spread of deepfake videos causes extreme shame and mental anguish for victims, potentially leading to suicide or other extreme actions.
△Social isolation: Deepfake victimization undermines trust and destroys social relationships, leading to isolation.

△Spread of digital sex crimes: Deepfake technology exacerbates digital sex crimes, and people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable due to their physical characteristics or social vulnerability.

△Increased social prejudice against people with disabilities: Deepfake videos can reinforce negative perceptions of people with disabilities and exacerbate social discrimination.

Moving Forward

To recognize the seriousness of deepfake incidents targeting people with disabilities and establish systematic countermeasures, the following efforts are necessary.

△Establishing a data collection and analysis system: The government, academia, and civic groups must cooperate to establish a system for systematically collecting and analyzing deepfake-related data.
△Cultivating specialized personnel: Cultivate specialized personnel related to deepfake technology analysis and create an environment where they can work.
△Legal and institutional improvements: Strengthen laws related to deepfakes and establish a victim support system.
△Awareness-raising campaigns: Conduct campaigns to raise awareness of the seriousness of deepfakes and increase social support for victims.
△Technological development: Support the development of deepfake video detection and removal technologies and promote the commercialization of related technologies.