Online real names to be scrapped

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The government plans to phase out the real-name verification policy to prevent the leaking of bloggers’ personal information amid growing concerns over online privacy.

At a meeting with senior ruling party lawmakers held in the National Assembly building Thursday, officials from the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said the existing policy will be scrapped as it exposes vulnerability to online hacking.

The ministry was initially negative about scrapping the measure because it had helped prevent groundless accusations and cyber defamation in Internet forums and chat rooms.

Under the plan, bloggers are required to pass a verification process to post messages or opinions by entering real names and residential registration numbers.

It was adopted in 2007 after Internet chat rooms, forums and message boards became key vehicles through which false rumors and malicious attacks against people, especially celebrities, were produced and spread rapidly.

The government changed its position on the online verification rule after a recent huge hacking case revealed the loophole of the measure designed to fight cyber defamation.

Approximately 35 million Web users’ personal data, including their residential registration numbers, were leaked after the sites were hacked, raising concerns about online privacy.

To protect online privacy, the public administration ministry will team up with related ministries and government agencies to investigate public and private entities’ use and management of personal data to see if there is any systematic weakness that could lead to the further leaking of bloggers’ private information.

The government also plans to review the tax- and finance-related laws which require Internet users to enter their personal data to get services they want, to look into vulnerabilities and develop technologies to bolster online security.

Government officials and senior ruling party lawmakers participated in the policy coordination meeting.

On the ruling Grand National Party’s side, chief policymaker Lee Ju-young and a few senior lawmakers were briefed on the government’s plan to protect personal data online.

Also joining the meeting on the government side are deputy ministers from the public administration ministry, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the National Tax Service and the Ministry of National Defense.

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