Temu's Overseas Transfer of Personal Information
"We Must Not Be Complacent by Simply Trusting Companies' Claims"
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon emphasized that "the government must protect the people's data" in response to news that the Chinese platform Temu is transferring Korean users' personal information overseas.
On the 21st, Mayor Oh stated through a Facebook post, "In the era of data sovereignty, the government must take necessary measures to protect the people's data."
He explained, "The Chinese shopping platform 'Temu' is reportedly transferring personal information of Korean users, including addresses, contact details, and text message histories, overseas. It is also controversial that the Chinese-made electric vehicle BYD, which recently started domestic sales, stores driving records on a Chinese IT company's cloud. Recently, the Chinese generative AI DeepSeek was found to be handing over user information to Chinese companies, leading to its ban."
Mayor Oh listed the measures the government should take. He said, "First, unfair clauses such as 'service cannot be used without consent' should not infringe on the people's right to choose. Next, the data processing methods of foreign digital devices and connected cars must be thoroughly inspected, and a practical monitoring system should be established." He added, "We must not be complacent by simply trusting companies' claims that data is deleted immediately."
He also suggested the need to strengthen domestic data-related technologies. Mayor Oh stated, "Finally, it is necessary to activate domestic data centers and provide active policy support so that data protection technologies can lead the way. We must no longer tolerate situations where foreign companies freely acquire and indiscriminately use domestic data."
He concluded by emphasizing, "Protecting data is protecting our future. Data is now a nation's core asset and the frontline of national security."
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