South Korea says Google may be held liable over data leak
In South Korea, Minister of Gender Equality Won Min-kyung said that Google must bear legal responsibility if an investigation finds violations of the law in a case involving the alleged leak of personal data of victims of digital sex crimes. This was reported by The Korea Herald, citing Yonhap.
The personal data had previously been available on the website of an overseas research project that collaborated with Google. The information was removed only after a corresponding government request. It contained personal details of victims who had requested the removal of illegally filmed videos.
Investigation into possible violations
Won Min-kyung stressed that a global platform such as Google bears increased responsibility for protecting and safely handling sensitive information about victims. According to her, the situation should not be reduced to a simple system error, and the company must act responsibly toward victims and the public.
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The Ministry of Gender Equality, jointly with the Korea Media and Communications Commission, is checking whether any laws were violated, including the law on punishment for sexual violence.
Company response
Google apologized for the data leak and said it had asked the website operator to remove the information immediately after learning about the issue. According to the minister, the company also pledged not to transfer removal requests from South Korea to third parties in the future.
