Recently, a victim who was contacted by a suspicious man after filling out a COVID-19 contact tracing form at a cafe revealed the full story of the incident, sparking public outrage. Photo by Online Community Capture.
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Cases of people complaining about being contacted by strangers after filling out entry logs at multi-use facilities are increasing.
In particular, a victim who was contacted by a suspicious man after filling out a COVID-19 log at a cafe recently revealed the full story, sparking public outrage.
On the 8th, SBS 'News 8' reported on a victim who was harassed by a stranger who said, "I contacted you after seeing the entry log."
According to the SBS report, a woman in her 20s, Ms. A, visited a franchise cafe in Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do on the night of the 6th and filled out the entry log.
Afterwards, Ms. A received a text message from an unknown number mentioning her name, saying, "I contacted you because I was lonely. I'll buy you a glass of soju."
According to the message Ms. A disclosed, the unknown number sent a text saying, "Are you Choi OO? I contacted you because I was lonely."
When Ms. A asked, "How did you get my number and name? Who are you?" the person replied, "I saw the COVID log. I wanted to buy you a glass of soju."
The man's contact continued, and Ms. A eventually reported it to the police.
Recently, a victim who was contacted by a suspicious man after filling out a COVID-19 contact tracing form at a cafe revealed the full story of the incident, sparking public outrage. Photo by Online Community Capture.
On the day the news was reported, Ms. A also posted a detailed message titled "COVID-19 Log Victim" on an online community, explaining her conversation with the man and the reason for reporting.
According to Ms. A, the man who said he saw her contact information in the COVID log sent messages such as, "This is fate," "If you're bored, want to meet for a bit?" and "How old are you?"
However, after learning that she reported him to the police, the man changed his attitude. He said, "I was contacted by the police station. Please consider that there was no report," "I'm sorry for bothering you, but I don't think this is a report," and "I never called you. I'm apologizing today," showing a brazen attitude.
Recently, a victim who was contacted by a suspicious man after filling out a COVID-19 contact tracing list at a cafe revealed the full story of the incident, sparking public outrage. Photo by Online Community Capture.
The man continued, "This is the first time something like this has happened to me," "Withdraw quickly. Pyeongtaek Songtan is a small place, and this is difficult for me too," and "How can a Korean man be treated like this just for sending a few texts?"
Ms. A said that after consulting with the police for filing a complaint, she was told that she could only file under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (causing anxiety). The Personal Information Protection Act applies only when the business owner or staff maliciously obtain personal information, and it does not apply here because there was no continuous or obscene conversation or photos related to sexual crimes.
Ms. A added, "I doubted whether he would receive a proper judgment, so I reported this to the media," and said, "I gathered courage because I want to prevent cases where personal information is used in crimes like mine. Please help ensure that this system, which people cooperate with in good faith during these times, is not abused."
Recently, a victim who was contacted by a suspicious man after filling out a COVID-19 contact tracing form at a cafe revealed the full story of the incident, sparking public outrage. Photo by Online Community Capture.
Meanwhile, since the 30th of last month, social distancing level 2.5 measures have been implemented in the metropolitan area, requiring visitors to multi-use facilities such as restaurants and cafes to verify their visit via QR code or fill out a log with their name and phone number. This is to be used for epidemiological investigations in case of COVID-19 confirmed cases.
Some businesses operate electronic entry logs with QR code scanners, but most use handwritten entry logs. Although businesses are supposed to manage the logs so that customers cannot see others' personal information, many cases of improper management have been reported. Consequently, concerns continue to arise that personal information may be exposed without protection and misused.
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