Namuwiki faces stricter regulations over privacy violations

[Anchor]

Regulations on the internet site Namuwiki, where anyone can freely edit information, are being intensified.

The Korea Communications Standards Commission has decided to block access to certain posts on Namuwiki due to privacy violations.

In the political arena, there are also moves to amend related laws.

Jeong Jae-woo reports.

[Report]

Namuwiki is an internet knowledge information site.

Its characteristic is that anyone can contribute to posting information, but this feature also leads to significant side effects.

There have been instances of false information for defamation purposes or information that invades privacy being posted, prompting the Korea Communications Standards Commission to take action.

Last month, the commission decided to block access to two personal information posts on the site.

Complaints were accepted regarding the posting of photos with an ex-lover, which constituted a violation of privacy, marking the first time access to Namuwiki has been blocked for privacy reasons.

[Ryu Hee-lim/Chairperson of the Korea Communications Standards Commission/Oct. 24/National Assembly: "We will conduct strict reviews, and if such cases are repeated, we will take various stronger measures..."]

There are also efforts to amend laws to include the operating company of Namuwiki under domestic law.

[ Kim Jang-kyom/Member of the People Power Party/Nov. 4: "The headquarters is located in Paraguay, and they only communicate externally via email. It is impossible to verify the actual owners and operators. They are not subject to domestic law."]

The plan is to amend the Information and Communications Network Act to include the operating company of Namuwiki as a subject required to designate a domestic representative.

There are also plans to introduce fines to recover profits from illegal information distribution operators.

However, there are concerns that such movements should not lead to violations of freedom of expression.

[Park Kyung-shin/Director of OpenNet/Professor at Korea University Law School: "If a complete block is implemented, it directly infringes on the freedom of expression of countless people who want to share information through Namuwiki..."]

Namuwiki has stated that it is taking temporary measures related to posts in the same manner as domestic operators.

This is Jeong Jae-woo from KBS News.