KakaoTalk/Photo by KakaoTalk Blog Capture
There was a controversy over the leakage and trading of user personal information in KakaoTalk open chat rooms. As authorities began investigating the matter, Kakao stated, "Due to the service structure, it is absolutely impossible for personal information to be leaked outside."
Recently, an advertisement from a company claiming to extract real names, phone numbers, and other information of participants in KakaoTalk open chat rooms was posted on a site trading online marketing programs. Open chat rooms refer to public chat rooms. The company claimed it could extract participants' real names, phone numbers, and conversation contents from open chat rooms and even released samples.
Kakao said, "We took action against the chat rooms and abusers immediately after recognizing the abusive behavior." However, it explained that it is structurally impossible to check participants' phone numbers, emails, or conversation contents within open chats, and if personal information was leaked, it is believed to have been done through means other than open chat rooms.
Kakao stated there is no evidence of external server intrusion. It is believed that the company entered the open chat rooms using personal information obtained externally, checked other users' profiles, and combined this information to identify personal data.
Kakao added, "The company's actions are prohibited by terms of service and law," and said, "We have reported the matter to investigative agencies and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), and we will proceed with legal measures and cooperate sincerely with the investigation to ensure users can feel safe."
The Personal Information Protection Commission has also begun investigating the situation. Before a formal investigation, it is reportedly verifying the type of attack, whether there was actual hacking, and if personal information such as phone numbers or conversation contents was leaked.
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