Overseas Casino Game App Developer
Promotes App with 'Deepfake' Videos Featuring Fake Celebrity Appearances
Limitations in Crackdown and Regulation... Urgent Need for Legal System Reform
Illegal Overseas Gambling Game Site Advertisement Featuring BLACKPINK Lisa Created with Deepfake Technology
Illegal game advertisements using deepfake videos of domestic celebrities and influencers on YouTube are rampant. Unlike the deepfake issues on social networking services (SNS) like Telegram, game sites are pointed out to be in a 'regulatory blind spot.'
According to the related industry on the 3rd, recently, casino game operators (application (app) developers) headquartered overseas have been conducting aggressive business activities in Korea. There are various types of apps such as ‘1BetX South Korea,’ ‘1Win Korea,’ and ‘Kakao Casino.’
These apps advertise as if winning games like spins or puzzles can be exchanged for Korean won, which is illegal in Korea itself.
The bigger problem is that these game sites are using deepfake technology to feature domestic celebrities, influencers, and YouTubers in their advertisements. The ads include actors like Lee Ju-bin, BLACKPINK’s Lisa, singers IU and Yubin, and broadcaster Dex, promoting the app with phrases like "I made a lot of money playing this game." They mainly used YouTube videos that can be easily found overseas. Although the voices are those of the celebrities, if you listen closely, the Korean sentences sound awkward as if translated by a machine.
Advertisement for an illegal overseas gambling game site featuring actress Lee Ju-bin created with deepfake technology
As concerns about portrait rights and copyright infringement arise, the entertainment industry is taking a strong stance. Dex’s agency, Kick the Hurdle Studio, stated last month, "Recently, illegal gambling game advertisements incorporating technologies such as deepfake and artificial intelligence (AI), impersonating Dex, have been indiscriminately distributed through online communities, YouTube, and social networking services (SNS)." They added, "Dex has never participated in advertising illegal gambling game apps, and the ads are fake videos created based on videos Dex appeared in."
YG Entertainment also released an official statement saying, "We are continuously monitoring the widespread and malicious illegal activities and are making efforts to delete and block illegal videos," and "We are taking all possible legal actions, including criminal procedures."
However, despite the agencies’ active responses, there are criticisms that there are institutional limitations to fundamentally blocking illegal advertisements. The Game Rating and Administration Committee, which is the enforcement body, has weak legal grounds to unilaterally block or request blocking of these ads. In particular, deepfake is considered a portrait rights infringement issue, and in such cases, the affected party must directly raise the issue with the Game Committee for a response. Even if crackdowns are based on gambling addiction concerns, it is difficult to eradicate because the developers are located overseas.
A Game Committee official said, "If the advertisement is false, or the game content differs from the advertisement, or the actual assigned age rating is different, we request the rating classification operators (app markets) to block it," adding, "Regarding deepfake issues, it is difficult to respond proactively unless the affected party directly informs the Game Committee."
Currently, most entertainment companies, including YG Entertainment, are collecting evidence against illegal content and advertisements using deepfake. An industry insider said, "If there is a need for government authorities’ support, we will actively request it."
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