Content platforms such as webtoons and web novels are using artificial intelligence (AI) to step up their response to illegal distribution. That is because illegal sites frequently change their addresses or create multiple sites to re-distribute content, making it hard to track and block them with manpower alone. After Ridi introduced an in-house AI agent in Jan., the number of titles monitored monthly increased 12 times from before. Naver Webtoon is also using AI to find and block the accounts responsible for illegal leaks, and the payment amount for major titles that saw significant delays in leaks increased an average of 23%.
◇ All-out use of AI for illegal distribution response, including detection, classification, and tracking
According to the industry on the 10th, Ridi automated illegal content detection by introducing an in-house AI agent in Jan. The AI finds illegal distribution L.I.N.Cs on the internet, then analyzes factors such as search exposure, traffic, and whether it is the initial source site to classify high-proliferation sites as priority response targets.
With AI taking over repetitive detection and classification, the team can check far more sites faster, and it also freed up capacity to assign existing staff to more complex investigations. Ridi reassigned those staff to open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigations to identify illegal site operators. OSINT compares publicly available internet data—such as domain and server information and social media (SNS) accounts—to track the individuals actually operating illegal sites.
A Ridi representative said, "We also used AI in the process of tracking operators to broaden the review scope," adding, "More than 60% of sites for which operators were identified ended up shutting down."
Naver Webtoon uses AI to find the original leakers of illegal content and prevent further leaks. Since 2017, it has operated "Toon Radar," which embeds invisible identifiers in webtoon images to track the accounts used in illegal leaks, and in 2024 it upgraded the system to run this technology on an AI basis. The company said that when manuscripts with identifiers are leaked, it can now find and block the leaker with more than 99% accuracy.
Kakao Entertainment plans to combine AI with its existing illegal distribution response system. Based on accumulated data and in-house technology, it will use AI to analyze illegal sites and enhance technologies that detect content leaks, and will sequentially disclose related technologies and global response results later.
◇ Payment amounts up 23% as illegal leaks slow, showing visible AI impact
The industry is using AI for illegal content detection and tracking because it is difficult to respond one by one to the rapidly increasing number of illegal sites with existing staff alone. Illegal sites repeatedly distribute the same content by creating multiple internet addresses or frequently change domains to evade crackdowns. In many cases, servers and operators are spread across multiple countries, so identifying operators and shutting down overseas sites requires considerable time and manpower.
By contrast, using AI allows for much faster checks of illegal sites that people used to verify directly. According to Ridi, from Jan. to Jun., after introducing the AI agent, the number of titles monitored monthly increased about 12 times compared with before, and the daily average number of reports rose more than fivefold.
Since Ridi formed a dedicated team to respond to illegal distribution, it has removed about 113 million instances of illegal content, with an average block rate of 90%. It estimates the scale of potential copyright damage prevented through these efforts at about 1 trillion won.
Naver Webtoon has increased the time and expense required for illegal sites to obtain the latest paid webtoons. By quickly finding and blocking the accounts used for illegal leaks, the number of paid episodes obtainable with a single account fell to about one-tenth of the previous level. To secure the same amount of content, operators must create more accounts and pay more, effectively increasing their content acquisition costs tenfold.
There have also been cases where delaying the appearance of the latest paid episodes on illegal sites led to increased payments on official platforms. In the first quarter of this year, the number of titles leaked within 24 hours of release on the relevant illegal site fell about 90% from early in the year. The total payment amount for the 10 major titles that saw significant leak delays increased an average of 23%.
Content companies are expanding their response by combining AI-based detection and tracking of illegal distribution with cooperation with overseas law enforcement. Naver Webtoon, Kakao Entertainment, and Ridi worked with Spanish authorities in Mar. to shut down the large local illegal comics and webtoon site "Tumangaonline."
A Ridi official said, "Illegal distribution is structured so that when one L.I.N.C is blocked, a new L.I.N.C is created, making it hard to solve fundamentally through repetitive reporting alone," adding, "We will continue to enhance our AI-based response system and expand cooperation with domestic and overseas agencies to protect creators' rights more effectively."