Kakao Files Complaint Against Company Suspected of 'Open Chat Personal Information Leak'

Kakao announced on the 16th that it has reported a company suspected of leaking personal information of users in open chat rooms for a fee to the police.

On the previous day, Kakao submitted a complaint to the Bundang Police Station in Seongnam, requesting an investigation into Company A on charges including obstruction of business.

Earlier this month, a controversial advertisement was posted on a website trading online marketing programs, claiming to extract real names, phone numbers, and other information of participants in KakaoTalk open chat rooms. Open chat rooms are anonymous chat rooms where people converse based on various topics such as interests, residential areas, and hobbies.

As the controversy grew, Kakao refuted the claim, stating that it is technically impossible to leak personal information from open chat rooms.

Although user IDs of participants in some open chat rooms were leaked, Kakao explained that user IDs are a type of serial number used within open chat rooms and differ from KakaoTalk IDs, making it impossible to trace back to phone numbers, emails, or chat contents.

A Kakao representative said, "The actions of this company are prohibited by terms of service and by law," adding, "The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) and the Personal Information Protection Commission are investigating, and we will sincerely cooperate with the police investigation to ensure users can feel safe."

They continued, "We will strongly respond to illegal activities to ensure users can feel secure."