Need for Management and Supervision of Naver News Algorithm... Active Consideration of Establishing Portal Committee

Godongjin "An expert unrelated to Naver reviewed... proposal"
Isanghwi "Naver accumulates wealth as a public good... has a duty to verify"

The People Power Party's Portal Unfair Reform Task Force (TF) reached a consensus on the need for management and supervision of Naver's algorithm, which provides online news content. Since Naver is a private company, disclosing the algorithm is not easy, but there is a need for a method to guarantee the fairness of the news algorithm. The TF also decided to actively consider creating an independent organization under the Korea Communications Commission to reform portal news policies.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kang Min-guk, a member of the People Power Party and chairman of the TF, said at a seminar held at the National Assembly on the 14th, "In conclusion, there seem to be two major points," adding, "There is a need to address the bias in the selection of news content partners (CP) related to Naver's news and to manage and supervise the algorithm."

The criticism of Naver's news algorithm came from Professor Yang Chang-gyu of Seoul Venture Graduate School, who presented at the forum. Professor Yang said, "In modern society, artificial intelligence derives conclusions through internal algorithms, so why does the news platform Naver have exclusive control over the algorithm that organizes the news?" He added, "If there is a problem, experts should be involved to examine whether the algorithm is functioning properly. Why is it that only news platforms cannot participate in this process?"

Go Dong-jin, a member of the People Power Party, emphasized, "We cannot control companies like YouTube, but since Naver is a domestic company, there may be misunderstandings that it is being controlled. However, it is true that there are issues with the portal." He continued, "It is not easy to demand that the algorithm be disclosed to a private company. However, if an expert group completely unrelated to Naver can review the algorithm, it does not mean it is disclosed externally. I propose this as an opportunity for Naver to gain trust from the public."

Lee Sang-hwi, a member of the People Power Party, stated, "Since companies engage in commercial activities, the algorithm itself is considered a corporate asset and cannot be disclosed externally." However, he added, "Naver has accumulated wealth by conducting commercial activities using public goods. If we talk about social morality and ethical awareness regarding this, the algorithm must be socially verified." He further said, "It should not be just anyone verifying the algorithm, but people with national representation should assess its fairness." He added, "The essence we must be faithful to is that Naver is not purely a private company but exists in a borderline area. Clarifying this will allow Naver to be free in its future business."

At the seminar, there was also a proposal to establish the "Korea Portal Committee," an independent organization under the Korea Communications Commission, involving portal operators such as Naver and Kakao, media companies, the Korea Communications Standards Commission, and the Fair Trade Commission. Song Young-hee, former head of KT's Content Media Business Division, acknowledged the positive functions that portal companies like Naver have had on the domestic news ecosystem but viewed Naver News as providing a left-leaning news distribution environment. She analyzed that prioritizing articles with high click rates to maximize advertising revenue has increased sensational articles, turning the platform into a hotbed for fake news. As a solution to these problems, Song proposed the Korea Portal Committee. Kang expressed his intention to actively consider establishing the Korea Portal Committee. The TF plans to visit Naver headquarters on the 19th.