Galaxy Store Revalidates Guardian Consent for Minors Under 14
One Store Also Halts Promotion of Child and Youth Personal Data Entry
PIPC Discusses Legalizing 'Child and Youth Personal Data Protection Guidelines'
Samsung Galaxy Store. Photo by Samsung Electronics website
[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] As the need to protect the personal information of children and adolescents online grows in the digital age, domestic application (app) market operators are conducting self-monitoring. For minors, re-authentication procedures including guardian consent are required, and the collection of personal information is prohibited.
According to the industry on the 25th, Samsung Galaxy Store is conducting a re-authentication process for minors under the age of 14 until November 30. The target users must obtain guardian consent to continue using the Galaxy Store normally. If re-authentication is not completed, related personal information, existing app usage data, and content download history will be deleted. This process is also applied to Galaxy Theme apps. However, since guardian consent is mandatory for paid apps, exceptions are expected.
One Store had tightened its self-monitoring measures earlier. One Store is conducting internal checks to ensure that promotions requiring the input of personal information in exchange for cash or items are not implemented while enforcing personal information protection policies for children and adolescents. The collection of behavioral information of children and adolescents is fundamentally prohibited to block personalized advertising, and consent from legal guardians has been required for collecting personal information of children under 14.
Foreign app market operators such as Google, which operates the Play Store, have also included some of these policies in their existing guidelines. Google restricts apps that display ads to children or users whose age is unknown to use only Google Play certified ads through its "Designed for Families" policy. It also requires prior disclosure when collecting sensitive information and personal data from children.
With the rapid transition to a digital society, the age at which children and adolescents participate in online activities is getting younger, and concerns about personal information infringement have increased as the information provided during online service use accumulates over a long period.
In response, the Personal Information Protection Commission established and announced guidelines for protecting the personal information of children and adolescents last July. Key compliance items in the guidelines include service planning based on privacy-by-design principles, obtaining legal guardian consent when collecting personal information from children under 14, safe use and storage of collected personal information of children and adolescents, clear notification of personal information-related matters, and active support for exercising rights such as correction and deletion of personal data.
The Commission plans to strengthen the guidelines through communication with experts from academia, industry, civil society, children and adolescents, and parents. Related operators including the Korea Internet Corporations Association and Korea Startup Forum, which include IT companies, are also involved. Next year, efforts will be made in parallel to legislate regulations at the level of the guidelines.
A Commission official said, "Although the contents specified in the guidelines are not mandatory, some operators are understood to have started policy changes accordingly," adding, "We plan to establish a policy consultative body to maintain communication, build an implementation management system, and expand self-regulation."
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