BLACKPINK and BTS are victims of deepfake technology, with sensitive photos spreading on social networks

In recent days, a series of images created using deepfake technology, incorporating the face of famous female singer Taylor Swift into sensitive images, have been spreading quickly on social networking platforms.

Taylor Swift's provocative images were initially spread on the social network Telegram, then continued to be widely shared on social networking platform X (formerly Twitter). Telegram and X are two social networking platforms that are quite "open" and do not prohibit sharing sensitive content.

These fake images have angered Taylor Swift's fan community. Social network X also immediately "took action" to protect Taylor Swift's identity. Accordingly, this social network has prevented users from searching for keywords related to Taylor Swift.

Deepfake is a technology that uses AI to analyze a person's gestures, facial expressions and voice, thereby editing it to make the photo or video product look like the real thing about that person, which can include both images and voices.

Deepfake videos are often created using advanced AI technology, making it very difficult to distinguish between real and fake. When this technology is abused, acts of fraud, defamation, spreading fake news and advertising appear more and more, causing chaos in society.

Before Taylor Swift, many Korean idols had been in similar situations but no effective solution had been given to protect them.

Statistical results in 2021 show that 25% of deepfake victims are female Kpop idols. A website specializing in providing sensitive deepfake content publicly introduces idols, even ranking them according to popularity in terms of views.

At that time, a petition with more than 200,000 signatures was sent to the Blue House, but it seemed that the Korean government had no response because the situation of fake provocative photos continued. Most of the content is abundant on X and "circumvents" censorship by writing idol names. For example: Jungkook of BTS becomes BT5 Jungk00k, Jennie of BLACKPINK becomes J3nn!3 of BL@CKP!NK...

In mid-2023, the video about Jungkook and Lisa went viral. In it, the two stars sat next to each other, exchanging glances and Jungkook caressed Lisa's hand. Another clip shows a series of photos of the duo embracing each other closely. All images are edited with AI but are so realistic that many netizens are confused and believe they are real.

In December last year, social network users were abuzz with the image of Lisa (Blackpink) undressing during a performance at the Crazy Horse Show in France. The video spread quickly across many adult platforms and websites.

However, through a deepfake detection application by KAIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology), the video related to Lisa was confirmed to be the product of collage. Many people took advantage of the public's harsh reaction to Lisa's performance at the Crazy Horse Show in October to launch unhealthy products.

In September 2023, the Korean prosecutor's office announced that a Korean student studying abroad in the US (in his 30s), known as Mr.A, had created and distributed thousands of sensitive images of Kpop stars. under 18. From August 2019 to June 2023, A created 2,300 sensitive videos using deepfake technology. It was confirmed that at least 50 celebrities were his victims.

A was officially arrested in June 2023. The US court rejected the bail application and deported A to Korea not long after. A confessed that he started producing and distributing fake videos after accidentally seeing them on social networks while still in Korea. All criminal acts are only to satisfy personal needs.

That raises alarm bells about the lack of purity in cyberspace. Even what you see and hear may not be true. People don't know what to believe. Furthermore, it also shows that the image rights of idols are not guaranteed.

BLACKPINK failed miserably in the US market, BTS was far behind, terrible numbers T.P16:03:25 08/03/2025In recent years, K-pop has risen to become one of the most influential music genres in the world. Not only stopping at Asia, the Hallyu wave has spread strongly to the West, especially the US market.