Key facts
- Google must take legal responsibility for any violations over a data leak of digital sex crime victims, said Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong.
- Victims' personal data, including names and contact details, was exposed on a foreign research project website linked to Google.
- The data was removed after the South Korean government demanded its deletion.
- Google has apologized for the incident, citing technical errors.
- The ministry is investigating potential violations of the sexual violence punishment law.
- The Personal Information Protection Commission has launched its own investigation.
SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong stated on Friday that Google must assume legal responsibility if any violations are discovered concerning the alleged leak of personal data belonging to victims of digital sex crimes. The exposed information, which included victims' names and contact details, was found on a foreign research project website that collaborates with Google and was only removed after the South Korean government requested its deletion.
"A platform with significant influence globally, like Google, has an even heavier responsibility to protect and safely deal with sensitive information of victims," Won said during a press briefing. "If any legal violations are found, Google must take legal responsibility. This issue should not be passed over lightly as a simple system error or mistake. Google must take the gravity of the issue seriously and take a responsible stance in front of the victims and the public."
Won indicated that her ministry is collaborating with the Korea Media and Communications Commission to scrutinize the incident for any legal infringements, including breaches of the sexual violence punishment law. Google has issued an apology for the leak, explaining that it requested the operator to remove the information as soon as it was brought to their attention, attributing the incident to technical errors, according to the ministry. The government plans to assess whether Google implements adequate follow-up prevention measures, noting the company's pledge not to share deletion requests from South Korea with external parties. The ministry is also examining the possibility of similar incidents occurring on other online platforms, while the Personal Information Protection Commission has initiated its own investigation into the leak.