A Blue House petition requesting punishment for deepfake crimes sexualizing idols [Image source: Screenshot of Blue House petition board]
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Following a Blue House petition demanding punishment for users of so-called 'RPess' (a type of fan fiction called Real Person Slash that pairs real-life individuals as couples), which sexualizes idols through photos and novels, another petition has emerged calling for strong punishment against 'Deep Voice'?fake videos that synthesize idols' voices to suggest sexual acts.
On the 17th, a petition titled "Please punish the crime of producing and distributing obscene materials using idols' voices called 'Deep Voice'" was posted on the national petition board.
The petitioner explained the background of the petition, saying, "Recently, as human rights issues such as RPess and deepfake have surfaced, various cases of human rights violations and sex crimes have been revealed one after another. I discovered a truly malicious case recently and felt the need to inform everyone, so I wrote this petition."
They continued, "Deep Voice is a sex crime involving defamation, where the voice of a famous person like an idol is overlaid on obscene videos depicting sexual acts, making it appear as if that famous person is engaging in such behavior. This is a vicious crime that can happen to anyone whose voice is exposed, not only male idols I have seen but also female idols, singers, and actors."
Furthermore, they pointed out, "Those who know about Deep Voice can recognize that it is fake material produced and distributed by someone, but if someone is unaware, they can easily be misled. This greatly damages the image and reputation of the person involved. Deep Voice is spreading like a network across the internet through Twitter and continues to be concealed. This is evidence that the perpetrators are aware it is a crime, and continuing despite this makes the crime very serious."
The petitioner added, "All sex crimes must be eradicated, and fabricating actions that celebrities never did under the guise of fan culture, even committing acts that constitute sex crimes, is an atrocious criminal act that must never happen. There must be public discussion and investigation as soon as possible." As of 3 p.m. on the 17th, this petition had garnered 33,560 supporters.
Meanwhile, concerns are growing in the popular music industry as the level of sexual objectification of idols has become excessive. Earlier on the 11th, a petition titled "Please strongly punish RPess users who sexually exploit underage male idols" was posted. That petition sparked significant controversy online, gaining over 200,000 supporters in just one day.
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