Park Jae-hyuk is a seasoned journalist who has provided comprehensive coverage of South Korea's corporate dynamics, economic policies, industry challenges and the global positioning of Korean companies. Based on the articles he has written since joining The Korea Times in 2016, his investigative approach has helped readers understand corporate governance, economic trends and business strategies shaping South Korea’s economy.
Privacy regulator checks ChatGPT's collection of Korean user data
American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) Chairman James Kim, front row third from left, and Personal Information Protection Commission Chairman Ko Hak-soo, front row fourth from left, pose with representatives from U.S. firms in Korea, during their meeting at Grand Hyatt Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of AMCHAM
By Park Jae-hyuk
By Park Jae-hyuk
Korea's top privacy regulator told representatives of U.S. companies in Korea, Tuesday, that authorities here are assessing how data pertaining to Korean users has been used for the development of ChatGPT, which has attracted global attention.
The comments were made by Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) Chairman Ko Hak-soo during a meeting with members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM).
“We are not conducting an investigation at this moment toward ChatGPT,” Ko said. “However, we are checking whether Korea's data has been used for ChatGPT's AI model building and how the data has blended in.”
Ko told reporters last Friday that the government is communicating with OpenAI, the developer of the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, which said the number of the chatbot's users in Korea reached 2.2 million.
“We will continue to communicate with the company so that we can check whether the data of Korean citizens has been managed properly,” he said at the press conference last week.
In order to help U.S. firms comply with Korea's privacy regulations, the PIPC chairman also shared major changes that have been made to the Personal Information Protection Act, during his meeting with AMCHAM members.
The revisions, which will take effect in September, include the improvement of personal information processing practices, the right to request the transfer of personal information, adjustment of the upper limit of fines to 3 percent of a company's total revenue, diversification of personal information transfer requirements and strengthened protection measures, the introduction of new standards for mobile video devices and alignment of online and offline regulations.
Ko also shared the PIPC's major achievements since its establishment as an independent government agency, including the imposition of a combined 100 billion won ($76 million) fine on Google and Meta Platforms in 2022.
Last September, the privacy regulator slapped a 69.2 billion won fine on Google and a 30.8 billion won fine on Meta for their collection of personal information without users' consent and using it for customized online ads and other purposes.
The two U.S. tech giants filed a lawsuit in February countering the fines.