Author: Gabriella IsabelEditor: Achmed Faiz Yudha Siregar
Introduction
From 2021 to 2024, the number of cases involving deepfake pornographic content in South Korea increased by 656, rising from 156 cases in 2021 to 812 cases in 2024.[1] Deepfake is a technology generated by machine learning called ‘deep’ learning that can manipulate and recreate a person’s image or video so that it appears realistic and convincing.[2] Ko Narin, a South Korean journalist, claimed that every minute, people upload photos of girls they know and ask for those photos to be turned into deepfakes, whereas it is also not uncommon for this to be done without the victim’s consent.[3] She also added that these crimes tend to be highly organized and systematic, with the perpetrators being teenagers who are often perceived as ‘normal boys’. As a result, protests were held in South Korea condemning this action, to which the government responded by expanding the scope of what is defined as ‘digital sex crimes’ under the law and establishing a center to support the survivors of online gender-based violence (GBV). Although this may appear to be a positive sign, a significant gap remains as enforcement is not effectively implemented, particularly in ensuring accountability for perpetrators and providing appropriate assistance to the victims of online GBV.
The increase in deepfake cases has also been dramatic in Indonesia, where the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Digital reported a 550% increase by July 2025 in online GBV against women and children.[4] One such case in Indonesia occurred in Bali, where a student at Universitas Udayana created pornographic content using AI deepfakes by stealing a woman’s picture from her social media account.[5] The content was then shared on social media, causing serious harm to the victim. Nevertheless, Indonesia does not yet have a law that specifically defines and provides criminal penalties for perpetrators of digital sex crimes. Although the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP) and Law No. 11 of 2008 on Electronic Information and Transactions (UU ITE), as amended by the Law No. 19 of 2016, regulate the dissemination of obscene content, deepfakes are not explicitly mentioned as a means of committing crimes.[6] This then raises the question of how Indonesia’s regulation can address and regulate digital sexual crimes that severely threaten women and children?
Tracing Gendered Vulnerability and State Responses in South Korea and Indonesia
Deepfakes constitute an invasive violation of privacy, resulting in victims’ loss of control over their own identity.[7] Thousands of victims of this incident have been forced to live in fear, leading them to suffer from anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. After a 2023 report that 53% of the world’s deepfake pornography was accounted for in South Korea, protests and activism led by women emerged.[8] The protests succeeded in eliciting a response from the government, leading the police to investigate Telegram as an app used to distribute and sell deepfake pornographic content. Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, was finally arrested in France for crimes committed through his app, including child pornography offenses.[9] However, South Korean authorities continue to face criticism from women’s rights activists for allowing this crime to go unnoticed for so long, although South Korea had experienced a similar case in 2019. Legal proceedings tend to be lengthy, and such cases are often dismissed, especially since it is difficult to identify the perpetrator on encrypted platforms like Telegram.
Women victims of sexualized deepfakes feel angry and frustrated since all of their activities and social media use must be censored, even though they did not do anything wrong.[10] Not only on Telegram, similar crimes also occurred on the X platform via AI Grok. Kirana, a wheelchair user who enjoys sharing her daily activities online, discovered that a stranger has asked Grok to generate a photo of her in a bikini.[11] Because of this, she felt very embarrassed and requested the platform to remove the photo, but received no response. Online GBV illustrates the increasingly eroding democratic representation as it discourages women from speaking out in the public sphere because of the fear of cyberharassment. Moreover, it exploits deeply-rooted patriarchal biases to belittle and undermine women’s professional credibility.
South Korea’s regulatory response should serve as a reflection for Indonesia. Lengthy legal proceedings and ineffective law enforcement can increase the rate of digital sexual crimes, especially given the rapid pace of technological advancement. Several legal provisions in Indonesia can be used to prosecute perpetrators of deepfake pornography, such as the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE) Article 27(1) to address content produced through artificial intelligence, the Law on Sexual Violence Crimes (UU TPKS) to combat sexual violence and provide protection for the victims, and the Law on Personal Data Protection (UU PDP) to protect personal data.[12] However, the term ‘deepfake’ is not explicitly mentioned in those provisions, so existing laws must be interpreted broadly by law enforcement officials. Proving and apprehending perpetrators through digital technology is also difficult due to sophisticated algorithms, particularly since deepfake pornography is not legally recognized yet in Indonesia. Going forward, more specific and sufficient legal updates that recognize digital sexual crimes such as deepfakes are needed to strictly regulate the use of AI.[13] It is also necessary to establish protection and support mechanisms for victims to prevent them from prolonged psychological or physical trauma.
Conclusion
Rapid technological advancements have made women increasingly vulnerable by creating numerous opportunities for cybercrime, such as deepfake pornography; the targets are mainly women, including children, students, celebrities, and political figures. Legal reforms are needed to address online GBV and manage the use of AI, as inadequate laws are a major obstacle in stopping these crimes. Given South Korea’s experience with its delayed response in dealing with deepfake pornography cases, Indonesia should begin implementing strong legal protections, especially since cases of online GBV in Indonesia have seen a significant increase of 550% since July 2025. Not only does this crime highlight the failure of the law to be adaptive to digitalization, but it also highlights the exclusion of women from the digital world.
[1] Tanjung, N. Y., (2026), The Urgency of Public Policy in Combating Deepfake Pornography: A Comparative Analysis of Indonesia, South Korea, Colombia, available at https://repository.ubaya.ac.id/51157/1/INFLUENCE_Niken%20Yoan%20Tanjung.pdf
[2] University of Virginia (n.d.), What the heck is a deepfake?, available at: https://security.virginia.edu/deepfakes
[3] Mackenzie, J & Choi, L (2024), Inside the Deepfake Porn Crisis Engulfing Korean Schools, available at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpdlpj9zn9go
[4] OECD AI (n.d.), Indonesia Faces Surge in Deepfake-Driven Harm Targeting Women and Children, available at https://oecd.ai/en/incidents/2025-07-25-ca95
[5] Liswati, A. L. & Taun, Analisis Yuridis terhadap Pertanggungjawaban Pidana Pelaku Pelecehan Seksual Berbasis AI (Deepfake Pornografi) di Media Sosial, available at https://ejournal.appisi.or.id/index.php/hukum/article/view/742/556
[6] Liswati, A. L. & Taun, Analisis Yuridis terhadap Pertanggungjawaban Pidana Pelaku Pelecehan Seksual Berbasis AI (Deepfake Pornografi) di Media Sosial, available at https://ejournal.appisi.or.id/index.php/hukum/article/view/742/556
[7] Furizal, Ma’Arif, A., Maghfiroh, H., Suwarno, I., Prayogi, D., Kariyamin, Lonang, S., Sharkawy, A. N., (2025), Social, Legal, and Ethical Implications of AI-Generated Deepfake Pornography on Digital Platforms, available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125006102
[8] Ji, S., (2025), #MeToo in an AI-Generated Deepfake Sexual Violence Era in South Korea, available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277539525000950?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=a3d8cfe77e044f85
[9] Mackenzie, J & Choi, L (2024), Inside the Deepfake Porn Crisis Engulfing Korean Schools, available at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpdlpj9zn9go
[10] Mackenzie, J & Choi, L (2024), Inside the Deepfake Porn Crisis Engulfing Korean Schools, available at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpdlpj9zn9go
[11] Chia, O. & Hajid, S., (2026), Malaysia and Indonesia block Musk’s Grok over explicit deepfakes, available at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7y10xm4x2o
[12] Tanjung, N. Y., (2026), The Urgency of Public Policy in Combating Deepfake Pornography: A Comparative Analysis of Indonesia, South Korea, Colombia, available at https://repository.ubaya.ac.id/51157/1/INFLUENCE_Niken%20Yoan%20Tanjung.pdf
[13] Liswati, A. L. & Taun, Analisis Yuridis terhadap Pertanggungjawaban Pidana Pelaku Pelecehan Seksual Berbasis AI (Deepfake Pornografi) di Media Sosial, available at https://ejournal.appisi.or.id/index.php/hukum/article/view/742/556