The CEO of an internet record deletion company, identified as person A, was sentenced to a fine for illegally collecting personal information for a fee. Person A, who operates a "digital funeral company" that deletes videos of sexual crime victims upon request and is also called a "digital undertaker," gained attention in 2020 during the so-called 'Doctor's Room' case for tracking Cho Ju-bin at the request of a victim.
According to legal sources on the 22nd, single judge Ye Hyuk-jun of the Goyang Branch of Uijeongbu District Court sentenced person A to a fine of 5 million won for violating the Information and Communication Network Act. Person A was indicted without detention for allegedly deceiving YouTuber B in January of last year by pretending to be a victim of a coin scam and sending a false link to extract personal information.
Between August 2022 and April last year, YouTuber B posted videos six times claiming that YouTuber C, who was in conflict with B, "had sexual relations with multiple women and engaged in sexual exploitation." In December 2022, C, who was preparing a legal response, requested person A to track B's personal information.
After receiving a commission of 3 million won from C, person A deceived B through Telegram, pretending to "report a coin scam," and sent a false transaction history link. When B clicked the link, internet protocol (IP) information, telecommunications provider, phone model, and address were sent to A. A then passed this information to client C.
The court considered the fact that the defendant was not an investigative agency and collected others' information deceptively for a fee, which cannot be regarded as self-help or legitimate action, in determining the sentence.
At the time of the incident, person A was also undergoing trial at the Bucheon Branch of Incheon District Court for aiding in the distribution of obscene materials. Person A was sentenced to six months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence in the first trial last January and in the appeal trial on the 6th of this month, and the case is currently under appeal to the Supreme Court.