In connection with the case in which information submitted to Google by victims of digital sex crimes to request the deletion of illegal recordings and other content was provided to external organizations and made public, the Korea Communications Standards Commission launched a joint response with domestic and overseas organizations.
The commission said on the 13th that, in relation to this situation, it is proceeding with deletion requests and an emergency review for Google and the site in question, while sharing information with international organizations such as the International Association of Internet Hotlines (INHOPE) and asking overseas operators to establish systems to protect victim information.
The commission, immediately after recognizing the situation on the 26th on the previous month, worked with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to request deletions from Google and the problematic site. Among the posts for which the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family requested a review, it asked the site to delete a total of 42 posts, including 16 for which access blocks were requested after pre-review deletion requests. It also requested the deletion of search terms related to the Central Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center, which is responsible for supporting victims of digital sex crimes.
It asked Google to delete search results related to the commission along with related information posted on the problematic site.
It also moved to international cooperation. On the 12th, the commission shared the matter with three international organizations—INHOPE, the Global Online Safety Regulators Network (GOSRN), and the International Institute of Communications (IIC)—and asked them to identify similar cases and response trends among member countries. It also conveyed related details to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States and requested cooperation.
The commission also asked 12 overseas operators subject to corrective requests—including Google, Meta Korea, X Korea, and TikTok Korea—and the global content delivery network (CDN) company Cloudflare to establish systems for managing and protecting the related information. The commission emphasized that, because information conveyed in the corrective request process may include sensitive details such as the personal information of digital sex crime victims, the information must be managed to ensure it is not reshared with or disclosed to external organizations.
Chairperson Ko Gwang-heon of the commission said, "This situation is a very grave matter that has turned away a helping hand for victims of digital sex crimes," adding, "We will do our utmost with partner organizations and businesses at home and abroad for a swift resolution and to prevent additional harm."