Police Operate 'Cyber Countermeasures Situation Room', Conduct Monitoring
3 Internal Investigations and 1 Criminal Investigation Underway
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As various fake news and false information related to the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) spread, the police have strengthened monitoring and launched investigations and inquiries to respond strictly.
The National Police Agency announced on the 30th that it has begun investigations and inquiries into false information and fake news about the novel coronavirus and smishing scam messages circulated on internet communities and social network services (SNS).
There are currently three cases under police inquiry. These include false posts such as one on an internet community impersonating a public broadcast news report claiming "a confirmed coronavirus case has emerged at a high school in Suwon," and SNS false information titled "Report of suspected novel coronavirus infection cases" stating that a suspected case was found at a public health center.
In particular, smishing crimes targeting personal information have emerged by exploiting this issue. According to the police, recently, text messages containing the phrase "Check identity information of domestic Wuhan pneumonia rapid spread infected and contact persons" along with a URL leading to a specific site to induce sign-ups were sent to an unspecified number of people. The police have blocked the URL and started an investigation.
The police operate a "Cyber Countermeasure Situation Room" to crack down on the dissemination of such false information and have established hotlines with related agencies such as the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Korea Communications Standards Commission. Additionally, 46 dedicated personnel have been deployed across 17 local police agencies nationwide (excluding Sejong) to focus monitoring on major portals for ▲ baseless suspicions related to diseases ▲ defamation of specific individuals ▲ leakage of personal information of related parties ▲ obstruction of work caused by false information about hospital closures.
Regarding the production and dissemination of false information, the police plan to investigate and apprehend not only the original producers but also intermediate distributors on charges such as defamation and obstruction of business. Furthermore, for false facts that could cause significant social confusion, requests for deletion and blocking will be made to the Korea Communications Standards Commission or site operators to prevent further damage.
A National Police Agency official stated, “The production and dissemination of false and manipulated information online cause public anxiety and social confusion, so we will continue monitoring and respond strictly to illegal activities,” adding, “We ask the public to actively report any discovered false and manipulated information to the police or related agencies.”
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