Investigators to notify personal info collection

A group of lawmakers have proposed a bill obliging investigative agencies to notify individuals of their collection of personal information such as residential ID and phone numbers.

Rep. Byun Jae-il of the main opposition Democratic Party said Thursday that he and 12 other opposition lawmakers proposed the bill regulating police and the prosecution’s practice of demanding such information without notifying subjected individuals.

The revised bill calls for investigators to inform individuals within 30 days after they collect information. Those who violate it will face fines of up to 50 million won ($44,834) or a maximum one year prison term.

Also, they need prior permission from the court before they collect personal information from service providers.

“The bill will be a fresh opportunity to halt investigative agencies’ habitual information collecting without notification or agreement. At the same time, it will likely bolster the security status of citizens’ personal information,” Byun said.

According to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning on May 9, a total of 425,739 cases of personal information collection, such as names or ID numbers, were provided to investigative agencies without the consent of the concerned persons in the second quarter of 2012. It marks a 31.2 percent increase from a year earlier.