Kakao set a record for its best-ever results on the back of advertising revenue, but a survey found that users feel considerable aversion to KakaoTalk ads.
The Seoul YMCA Citizen Mediation Office (Seoul YMCA) on the 24th released the results of a survey titled "User perception of Kakao brand messages," conducted on 2,000 citizens as user complaints about Kakao ad messages (brand messages) have increased.
According to the survey, 59.2% of respondents said they feel discomfort receiving ad messages. Only 19.4% said they do not feel discomfort with Kakao's ad messages.
Also, only 11.8% of KakaoTalk users said they remember whether they "agreed to receive ad messages," while 45.7% said they do not remember. Users said they are inconvenienced because ad messages are sent indiscriminately via KakaoTalk when they do not remember whether they agreed in the past. In particular, to the question about the need to regulate the sending of ad messages, 62.1% of users answered that "government regulation is needed."
Seoul YMCA stressed that the government should focus its review on the following so that user discomfort can be resolved quickly: the act of using personal information, consented to as mandatory collection at KakaoTalk sign-up, to send third-party ads (Article 18, Paragraph 1 of the Personal Information Protection Act); Kakao's act of not confirming users' prior intent to sign up for services (Article 50, Paragraph 1 of the Telecommunications Business Act); and the fact that users have never agreed to receive ads called brand messages (Article 50, Paragraph 1 of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection). A Seoul YMCA official said, "It can be seen that Kakao should improve the consent-to-receive process so that users are more clearly guided and can recognize service sign-up for sending ad messages."
Regarding the function to refuse unwanted KakaoTalk ad messages, 69.9% said "a blanket opt-out function is needed." Of them, 45.1% said it is "very necessary." As for data deductions or expense incurred when receiving KakaoTalk messages, 64.3% of users said it is "unfair," and 39.4% said it is "very unfair."
Seoul YMCA said, "Even though user complaints about Kakao brand messages are increasing and criticism of Kakao brand messages continues across society, including the National Assembly, the competent authorities—the Personal Information Protection Commission and the Korea Communications Commission—have remained silent, taking no particular measures to check user inconvenience or possible legal violations, even nine months after the launch of Kakao brand messages." It added, "We will continue to press the government and the National Assembly for countermeasures until strict regulation is established to resolve user inconvenience and protect personal information and represent user interests."