Broadcasting, Media, and Communications Committee Launches Information Security Inspection...First Summons for Pay-TV Industry

Preventive Inspections Amid Ongoing Breaches
Security Officers Fatigued by Repeated Summons from Government Agencies

Photo by Gemini Production

The Broadcasting, Media, and Communications Committee has launched an information security inspection targeting pay-TV operators in response to a series of recent personal data breaches and hacking incidents. As the government as a whole calls for stronger information security management in the wake of repeated security incidents, the pay-TV sector has also been included in the scope of these inspections.

According to the IT industry on January 22, the committee plans to convene information security officers from pay-TV operators, including IPTV providers, next week for a "Meeting on Personal Information Protection for Pay-TV Operators." It is reported that each company’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) or relevant executives will attend the meeting.

This meeting marks the first official communication on information security with pay-TV operators since the committee’s establishment this year. During its formation, the committee took over certain pay-TV-related responsibilities from the Ministry of Science and ICT. As it begins to fully carry out its supervisory and management role in the pay-TV sector, which intersects with existing telecommunications and media policies, information security issues have become a key focus for inspection. The committee explained that, given the recent string of personal data breaches and hacking incidents, the pay-TV sector is not exempt, and it has launched these inspections as a preventive measure.

A committee official stated, "With security incidents occurring one after another, our intention is to share the current status of operators’ responses and to provide guidance on areas that require more attention from an information security perspective. Since pay-TV operators also have designated information security officers, we plan to hear what efforts each company is making."

However, those in the field feel that this meeting carries more weight than a simple "communication" session. This is because, following recent personal data breaches and hacking incidents, government ministries have been summoning security officers from major companies for similar meetings. As information security inspections and messaging from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Personal Information Protection Commission continue, the addition of the committee as another supervisory body is increasingly being recognized among operators.

While the industry agrees with the purpose of inspections and communication to prevent incidents, there is growing concern over the burden placed on information security officers, who now must respond to requests from multiple ministries. A representative from a pay-TV operator said, "It is only natural to conduct preemptive inspections to prevent security incidents, but as similar meetings and data requests continue, fatigue is accumulating on the ground. Responding to each request individually paradoxically reduces the time available to actually inspect and strengthen our internal security systems."