South Korea bans political campaign videos that use AI-generated deepfakes in the election season

South Korea’s special parliamentary committee made a significant move on Tuesday (Jan 30) by passing an amendment to the Public Official Election Act, proposing a ban on political campaign videos that utilize AI-generated deepfakes during the election season.

According to the revised law, individuals could potentially face severe consequences, including a maximum of seven years of imprisonment or a fine of nearly 50 million won ($37,618), if found displaying or distributing political campaign videos created with deepfake technology within the 90 days leading up to an election.

The creators of such content are also obligated, under the revision, to inform viewers about the synthetic information present in deepfake videos, even if these videos are posted before the 90-day window leading to an election.

If the parliament approves the law, it is set to take effect from January 11, 2024, just ahead of the general elections scheduled for April.

This legislative action by the South Korean government aligns with a global trend aimed at regulating political advertisements utilizing deepfake technology. Concerns have been mounting globally over the potential for such content to be misleading and create confusion among voters on a massive scale.

Major tech companies like Google and Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, have adjusted their policies to require users to include disclaimers in deepfake-generated political ads. In the United States, the Federal Election Commission has initiated processes to regulate campaign videos using deepfake technology ahead of the 2024 elections.

The use of manipulated audio and images in political advertisements is not a new phenomenon in South Korea. In the 2022 presidential elections, both the current main opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, and the then-candidate President Yoon Suk Yeol featured AI-generated replicas of themselves in their campaign videos. The move to regulate deepfake technology in political campaigns reflects a broader effort to maintain the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.