The public is at a loss as to what to do about the alleged theft of confidential personal information of 11.19 million customers of GS Caltex, the second-largest oil refiner in South Korea. The case is shocking not only because of its size, but also how such data was stolen and leaked. It shows that one third of the nation's adults have been caught off guard as far as their privacy is concerned. People are all the more perplexed at the poor handling of customer information at the affiliate of one of the country's major conglomerates or chaebol.
Consumers' rage over the data theft is even more acute because businesses and regulators have done little to prevent any recurrence following a series of massive cases of information leaks. More and more sophisticated methods are being used to steal the personal information of millions of people. In February 10.81 million users of Internet Auction Co., the country's leading online auction site, fell prey to hacking.
The Auction case only proved how the nation's Internet sites are vulnerable to hacking and data leaks, with one out of every four South Koreans falling victim. The woes did not stop there. A hacking virus penetrated the presidential office's intranet in mid-February, giving a wakeup call to the nation's poor online security system. Hanaro Telecom handed over the personal information of 6 million subscribers to more than 1,000 telemarketing agencies without their consent. How could such incidents happen in South Korea, which takes pride in its information technology and Internet prowess?
Going back to the GS Caltex case, a more serious problem is that the company had no knowledge about the information theft until the media began to report it last week. On Sunday, police detained two employees of a subsidiary of the refiner and two of their friends on charges of stealing customer information, including resident registration numbers, home and company addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. The case came to surface following a report that a CD and a DVD containing customer information had been found at a garbage dump in a red-light district in southern Seoul.
What's really surprising is that the suspects reported the information leaks to the police, believing that media reports would raise the value of the data. According to investigators, the four suspects planned to sell the information to the highest bidder. A question is raised over why the refiner collected information about its customers, including high-profile figures such as Cabinet ministers, lawmakers, presidential secretaries, the police chief and the intelligence agency chief.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of personal data security in an information-oriented society in the 21st century. However, it is regrettable that the country has increasingly become a hotbed for hacking and information leakage, which could lead to fraud and other crimes. It is urgent for the government and corporations to establish tighter information security systems and raise awareness about privacy. Law enforcement authorities are also required to get tougher with those who leak personal data. They must now take action before it's too late.