Broadcasting Review Committee, Caught on Random Apps Over 3 Weeks
[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) has detected approximately 690 cases of attempted sexual transactions involving minors through random chat applications (apps) and is taking corrective action.
The KCSC's Communications Deliberation Subcommittee announced on the 30th that it held a meeting at the Broadcasting Hall in Mok-dong, Seoul, and resolved to request corrections (service termination) for 691 cases of sexual transaction-related information on random chat apps.
From June 1 to 19, over about three weeks, the KCSC conducted focused monitoring on the top 10 chat apps subject to correction requests in 2020, distributed through app market platforms such as Google, Apple, and One Store.
Random chat apps allow one-on-one conversations with unspecified individuals without revealing one's identity. Due to features such as the ability to confirm the other party's location via the Global Positioning System (GPS), these apps have been exploited as major channels for inducement and contact in sexual transactions and digital sex crimes targeting children and adolescents.
Methods have become more sophisticated to evade crackdowns, including the use of slang or initial consonant abbreviations. Representative examples include 'GoPay Dollimppang & Gaengbaeng', 'sex alba', 'ㅈㅗㄱㅓㄴ', and 'Chagandan 6'. Among these, some sexual transaction information targeting minors was also confirmed.
The KCSC is responding through continuous monitoring and correction requests for random chat apps. Last year, it conducted three rounds of focused monitoring and requested corrections for 6,848 cases, more than double the previous year. However, due to delays in forming the 5th KCSC this year, creating a regulatory gap, a large amount of sexual transaction information circulated on random chat apps.
Going forward, the KCSC plans to request self-regulation from app market operators and random chat app providers and provide related materials to investigative agencies. It will also strengthen cooperation systems to prevent the distribution of sexual transaction and digital sex crime information.
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