SK Telecom and Naver Rated "Excellent" in User Protection Evaluation
Netflix and Meta Receive "Inadequate" Ratings
Improvements Noted in Most Sectors, but Gaps Remain for Some Providers
In the evaluation of user protection tasks conducted for telecommunications service providers, SK Telecom and Naver received the highest rating of 'Excellent.' Netflix and Meta were rated the lowest, 'Inadequate.'
According to the results of the Korea Communications Commission's '2024 Telecommunications Service Providers User Protection Task Evaluation' announced on the 20th, SKT was the only provider to receive the 'Excellent' rating in the mobile telecommunications sector, and Naver was the only one in the shopping and delivery sector to achieve the same rating, while Netflix and Meta received 'Inadequate' ratings.
This evaluation was conducted based on 2023 performance, considering user scale and complaint levels, targeting 46 providers across 13 service sectors. The assessment criteria included user protection management systems, legal compliance, damage prevention activities, and complaint handling performance. The overall average score was 886.7 points, an increase of 9.2 points compared to the previous year.
By sector, in mobile telecommunications, SKT received an 'Excellent' rating, while LG Uplus (downgraded) and KT received 'Good' ratings. In the high-speed internet sector, five providers?LG Uplus, SKT, KT (up one grade), HCN (up one grade), and SK Broadband?all received 'Excellent' ratings. D'Live (downgraded by one grade) and LG HelloVision received 'Good' ratings, and CMB received a 'Fair' rating.
In the app market sector, Samsung Electronics, One Store, and Google (up one grade) all received 'Good' ratings. Apple, which had consistently received 'Inadequate' ratings, improved to a 'Fair' rating, rising two grades due to participation in professional consulting and enhanced understanding of the evaluation.
In the shopping and delivery sector, Naver Shopping was the only provider to achieve an 'Excellent' rating. Woowa Brothers and 11st (up one grade) received 'Good' ratings, and Coupang received a 'Fair' rating. Additionally, Kakao received a 'Good' rating in the search sector, KakaoTalk received a 'Good' rating in the SNS sector, and five providers including ContentWave in the OTT sector each improved by one grade compared to the previous year, indicating an overall enhancement in user protection policies among value-added telecommunications providers.
On the other hand, Netflix Services Korea in the OTT sector received an 'Inadequate' rating, down one grade from the previous year, and Meta also recorded an 'Inadequate' rating again this year in the SNS sector.
Among providers included in the evaluation for the first time, Kakao Mobility and Danggeun received 'Good' ratings based on active participation in professional consultations, thorough submission of materials, and high understanding, whereas KT Skylife and Pritelcom received 'Inadequate' ratings.
Lee Jin-sook, Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission, stated, "While most providers are strengthening their user protection policies, some still remain at the inadequate level," and pledged to improve overall user protection standards through encouraging professional consultations and strengthening on-site evaluations for inadequate providers.
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