HYBE has announced a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a South Korean police agency in a bid to combat the creation of deepfakes impersonating the company’s artists.
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On February 26, HYBE announced that it has signed an MOU with the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency (NGPPA). The entertainment giant is notably home to some of K-pop’s top acts, including BTS, SEVENTEEN and LE SSERAFIM, among others.
The MOU stipulates swift action against offenders, which include expedited arrests and the launch of a dedicated hotline for reports of such crimes within South Korea. HYBE said in its statement that this “strengthens overall efforts to protect artists from online exploitation”.
“NGPPA, renowned for its expertise in investigating cybercrimes, has been ranked the first in the nation for cyber sexual violence investigations in the first half of 2023 and 2024,” HYBE noted in its statement. “Through the partnership with HYBE, NGPPA aims to further strengthen its capabilities in the entertainment industry.”
HYBE CEO Jason Jaesang Lee said the company is “delighted to collaborate with NGPPA, a recognised leader in the investigation of cyber crimes”. He also iterated that “HYBE is steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding the rights of our artists in today’s digital age.”
Meanwhile, NGPPA district chief Kim Ho-seung added that he “expect[s] that our partnership with HYBE, Korea’s top entertainment company, will significantly improve the efficiency of our investigations”. He added: ”As digital crimes become more sophisticated with the advancement of technology, we will enhance our investigative expertise based on the agreement.”
In other news, HYBE also announced last week a new project in partnership with OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder to launch a new boyband. Helming the project alongside Tedder will be HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk and HYBE America CEO Scooter Braun.
