Daily SumUp

Previously known as “Guilty Archive” with 120,000 subscribers, the operator had her initial account suspended and later created the Queen Archive account. She received a tip on Aug. 24 from a user about the widespread distribution of deepfake pornography on Telegram. Taking decisive action, Queen Archive publicized this information on her X account and sought further reports from victims and witnesses. The issue quickly gained momentum, revealing its extensive impact on not only students but also teachers and female soldiers. Recognizing the severity of the situation, President Yoon Suk-yeol has called for immediate measures.

In an interview with the Chosunilbo on Aug. 28, Queen Archive said, “I was receiving eight reports per minute, and notifications continued through the night,” adding that discovering the stories of the victims was “truly devastating.” Below is a Q&A with Queen Archive, who asked to keep her personal information confidential.

You played a major role in publicizing the recent deepfake sex crime. What motivated you to take action?

“A post about a deepfake-sharing Telegram group in Daegu first appeared on an online community on Aug. 24. The group chat involved creating pornographic deepfake materials using photos of real-life acquaintances. I saw it and posted about it on X. One user then tipped me off about a Telegram deepfake group involving teenage victims. Once I learned about it, I felt I had to protect the students. Given the nature of Telegram crimes, investigating them is difficult without identifying the perpetrators. To track them down, I infiltrated the Telegram groups. I discovered that deepfake crimes on Telegram were far more severe and widespread than anticipated, affecting the entire country. I decided to publicize it.”