Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
TikTok under gov't scrutiny for security risks
By Baek Byung-yeul
Singer Park Jin-young is seen on his video sharing platform TikTok. / Courtesy of TikTok
By Baek Byung-yeul
The government is investigating Chinese video app TikTok over allegations that the popular social media platform has sent users' personal information to the Chinese government, according to the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), Monday.
“The KCC has launched an investigation into TikTok for allegations of a personal data leak,” said an official of the KCC, which supervises media policies. “After conferring with TikTok, we will soon also conduct an on-site investigation.”
Based in China, TikTok has been enjoying global popularity, enabling users to tell their own stories in short videos lasting between 15 seconds to 60 seconds. Since its launch in 2016, the app has been downloaded 1.5 billion times to become one of the world's most popular social media platforms.
However, the video-sharing app has been hit in many countries for poor management of users' data. In February, Bytedance, operator of the app, was hit with a $5.7 million fine by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for violating children's privacy laws by failing to obtain parental agreement before collecting personal information about children.
Han Sang-hyuk, Korea Communications Commission chairman
Taking the social media platform as a “cybersecurity threat,” the U.S. Navy recently banned TikTok from government-issued mobile devices.
“The KCC decided to launch the investigation after Rep. Song Hee-kyeoung of the Liberty Korea Party pointed out the potential cybersecurity matters of TikTok,” the KCC official said.
During a National Assembly hearing in October, Rep. Song raised questions over TikTok's proper treatment of personal information because the company was programmed to share with the Chinese government users' information such as location data stored on smartphone SIM cards.
The Chinese app has 4 million users in Korea, mostly in their teens. While other countries are taking disciplinary measures against TikTok or moving to ban it, no measures had been taken in Korea to ensure security of users, the lawmaker said.
Under Korea's Personal Information Protection Act, internet service providers must obtain the consent of legal representatives if the providers wish to collect names, email addresses and other personal information of children.