Opposition to the 'Nth Room Prevention Act,' KCC Says "No Concern of Private Censorship"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seolgina Jo] "The bill to strengthen the obligation of internet service providers to prevent the distribution of digital sexual crime materials does not pose concerns of private censorship." As controversies over private censorship surrounding the so-called 'n-beonbang Prevention Act' continue mainly in the internet industry, the government has responded with a rebuttal.

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) stated on the 15th, "Due to the nature of the internet, once digital sexual crime materials are distributed, they cause irreversible pain to victims, so the purpose of the bill is to minimize harm by strengthening the responsibility of service providers to quickly block such content."

The KCC emphasized, "This amendment strengthens the 'distribution prevention' obligation of internet service providers regarding illegal filming materials, edited materials, and child and youth sexual exploitation materials so that digital sexual crime materials can be deleted and blocked quickly and effectively. The amendment imposes technical and administrative measures obligations, but it does not include private conversations between individuals as target information."

On the same day, the KCC clarified that the obligation to prevent the distribution of digital sexual crime materials applies only to information publicly distributed to the general public. Private conversations such as KakaoTalk and email are not target information. Additionally, the technical and administrative measures imposed on companies like Naver, Kakao, and Google are not for providers to monitor at their own discretion but only when there is a report or a request from institutions or organizations according to a presidential decree.

If the bill passes the National Assembly, detailed provisions will be discussed with service providers. The KCC plans to gather opinions from providers and devise measures to minimize concerns.

Choi Seong-ho, Secretary-General of the KCC, reiterated, "I clearly state that there is no concern about infringing on users' privacy and communication secrecy."

Earlier, the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee passed amendments to the Telecommunications Business Act and the Information and Communications Network Act on the 7th, known as the 'n-beonbang Prevention Act.' While the existing law held providers responsible only for the distribution of illegal filming materials, the amendment requires providers to manage all digital sexual crime materials, including child and youth sexual exploitation materials.

In response, the Internet Enterprise Association and other IT industry groups have expressed concerns in statements that strengthening the obligation of internet service providers to prevent the distribution of digital sexual crime materials might require providers to monitor all user posts and content.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.