On the 30th, the law firm Boin announced that it had filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court on behalf of 64 victims of forced account deletion on Instagram, demanding 100,000 won in damages per person from Meta Korea (corporate name: Facebook Korea Limited).
Since June of this year, there has been a situation in which multiple user accounts are indiscriminately forced to be deleted without prior notice, despite not violating Instagram's operating policies.
Accordingly, Chairperson Choi Min-hee of the National Assembly Science, Technology, Broadcasting and Communications Committee invited officials from Meta Korea and the victims to a closed-door meeting on the 10th of last year to confirm the damage and listen to the response plans from Meta Korea. During the meeting, a Meta Korea official acknowledged the damage and apologized, saying, "I am sorry for not being able to take immediate action."
Attorney Cheon Chang-soo from the law firm Boin, representing this lawsuit, noted that "Meta Korea, as a local branch of the American parent company Meta, has a responsibility to fulfill various obligations under Korea's Telecommunications Business Act," and added, "The forced deletion of Instagram user accounts falls under actions prohibited by the Telecommunications Business Act, which states 'to restrict or suspend subscription or use of telecommunications services without just cause,' and thus constitutes a civil tort.
He added, "Meta Korea has a responsibility to compensate users for their damages. We plan to proceed with a second lawsuit representing additional victims in the future."