Not just deepfake porn, concerns rise over 'cyberflashing’

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Amid growing concerns of fast-spreading digital sex crimes like deepfake pornography, there has been an increase in the number of social media users falling victim to "cyberflashing," or sending someone unsolicited sexual images or videos.

According to an official report released jointly by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea, the number of people seeking help at the institute for cyber harassment increased from 251 individuals in 2018 to 500 in 2023. The report defines cyber harassment as the act of sending sexually inappropriate messages through social media.

Besides social media, 28-year-old Chae Yoon-ji also recalled to The Korea Herald falling victim to cyberflashing in 2023 through Apple’s AirDrop feature. The wireless service allows files be transferred between different Apple devices within a 9-meter radius.

“I was so surprised that I dropped my phone. I also felt embarrassed because I was scared that someone would see my screen,” said Chae.

Chae told The Korea Herald that someone sent a picture of their genitals through AirDrop last year while she was on the subway. “I remember looking around to see who could have sent that photo to me, but I couldn’t grasp who it was. Not knowing who could be responsible for something like that made me feel even more helpless.”

Though Apple has since updated its AirDrop feature to make it available for people to share materials among their contacts only, Chae added that she has disabled the function from her phone due to “fear of something similar happening again.”

While cyberflashing can be penalized under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, experts criticize “low penalties” as one reason behind the low number of reports filed to the police.

“Whether cyberflashing is done through social media or AirDrop, in most cases, it’s difficult for authorities to track down the perpetrators responsible for cyberflashing,” lawyer Kwak Joon-ho told The Korea Herald. “Even if perpetrators are caught, first-time offenders are usually only fined. While repeated offenders may be subject to being penalized, it must be clearly proven to the court that the offenders’ actions caused anxiety and fear -- and there are no clear standards for what constitutes that in the case for cyberflashing.”