COMPANIES TURN SOCIALLY SMART

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In the past, corporations engaged in social responsibility activities as a way to enhance their brand images and values. But now more and more businesses are aiming to contribute to societal goals by mobilizing and utilizing their strengths. In particular, what most attracts attention is efforts by IT companies that are making use of their digital technologies to fulfill social responsibility.

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[Soundbite] "Hello? (Yes.) This is the Seoul central District Prosecutors' Office. We ve received a report that your name and identity was stolen and was used illegally."

Phone and voice phishing scams are becoming more sophisticated and cunning. The amount of phishing crime damage continued to increase and reached a record high of some 700 billion won last year. Telephone scammers commonly pretend to be government and public officials to trick targets. As a result, these days, many people reject phone calls from real investigation agencies.

[Soundbite] Choi Eun-soo(Ulsan Coast Guard Station) : "We face a lot of difficulties doing our job, as many people reject our phone calls, believing they are phishing scams."

A local telecom company introduced a caller ID service technology that can confirm if a phone call is from a public agency. It helps people distinguish false phone numbers fabricated by imposters.

[Soundbite] Myung Je-hun(KT Enterprise) : "During the pandemic, many public officials work from home and increasingly do their job via phone calls. People often fall victim to phishing scams taking advantage of this situation. We introduced the service to prevent such incidents."

IT has become an essential part of environment protection efforts. This coffee shop stopped using disposable, single-use cups starting this month.

[Soundbite] "As an eco-friendly store, we are using multi-use cups. Is it okay?"

The used cups must be collected and this is where an AI camera plays a crucial role. An AI collection box sorts out cups belonging to the store, then returns deposit fees to customers.

[Soundbite] Shin Yo-han(SKT ESG Department) : "Many people feel guilty about using plastic items. But it is not easy to change and discard the practice right away. We came up with the idea to encourage the use of multi-use cups at coffee shops."

IT firms are seeking ways to contribute to society by doing what they excel at. From preventing crimes to protecting the environment, advanced technologies are bringing good, useful changes to our daily lives.