"Is a Vehicle Number Personal Information?" Summary of Q&A by the Personal Information Commission

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] Are vehicle license plates considered personal information? Is it permissible to install CCTV in front of apartment entrances?

The Personal Information Protection Commission announced on the 1st that it will organize and provide standard interpretation cases regarding personal information in daily life, which many citizens are curious about, so that anyone can easily and accurately understand them. In the future, citizens will be able to easily resolve their questions about personal information through online searches.

According to the Personal Information Protection Commission, since its integrated launch on August 5 last year, a total of 1,060 legal interpretation inquiries have been received from citizens and businesses. By article, there were many inquiries about Article 2 defining personal information (125 cases), Article 15 on the collection and use of personal information (164 cases), and Article 18 on collection, use, and provision beyond the intended purpose of personal information (117 cases). By work area, there were many inquiries about CCTV (160 cases), information and communications (145 cases), and multi-unit housing (133 cases).

The Personal Information Protection Commission plans to systematically review inquiries by major legal provisions, establish standard interpretations, and disclose them on the Commission’s website (pipc.go.kr) and the Personal Information Protection Comprehensive Portal (privacy.go.kr) during the first half of the year. Additionally, standard interpretation cases will be provided to the ‘National Secretary Chatbot’ to assist complainants’ understanding.

Furthermore, counseling casebooks summarizing major inquiries by work area such as multi-unit housing (June), CCTV (August), and information and communications (October) will be published. These casebooks will be disclosed through the Personal Information Protection Commission’s website (pipc.go.kr), the Personal Information Protection Comprehensive Portal (privacy.go.kr), and distributed to related organizations such as local governments and the Housing Management Association for utilization.

Kim Hoisoo, Planning and Coordination Officer of the Personal Information Protection Commission, stated, “Since personal information is closely related to citizens’ daily lives, requests for legal interpretation are expected to continue increasing. We will regularly review inquiry contents and update interpretations to help citizens resolve their questions about personal information and assist businesses in properly protecting and utilizing personal information.”