Concerns Over COVID-19 Personal Data Leaks... "No Entry Log Required for Takeout"

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] Going forward, when taking out beverages or food while wearing a mask, a handwritten entry log recording names and phone numbers will not be required. Additionally, when filling out the log, writing the full name will no longer be necessary. This measure comes in response to repeated concerns about personal information leakage during the recent COVID-19 quarantine process.

The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) reported these details on the morning of the 11th at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting as part of the "COVID-19 Personal Information Protection Enhancement Measures." This plan was prepared to alleviate public concerns about privacy violations related to the handling of personal information such as entry logs for multi-use facilities and confirmed patients' movement paths.

First, after inspecting the management status of personal information processed during the COVID-19 quarantine, the PIPC found that handwritten entry logs often record one to two days' worth of visitor personal information on a single sheet depending on the size of the establishment, and many places lack separate locking devices or shredders, raising concerns about personal information leakage. In contrast, QR code-based electronic entry logs store facility visit information and user information separately at the Korea Social Security Information Service and QR code issuing agencies such as Naver, Kakao, and PASS, and are automatically destroyed four weeks after creation.

Accordingly, the PIPC decided to minimize personal information collection by excluding full names and only requiring mobile phone numbers and city/county/district information when filling out handwritten entry logs. Furthermore, a plan to exempt handwritten log writing when taking out food or drinks while wearing a mask is also being pursued. The entry management method, where a single phone call at places like markets or marts automatically records relevant information and deletes it after four weeks, will be expanded. Currently, cities like Goyang are utilizing this system considering digitally marginalized groups who have difficulty using QR codes.

Regarding confirmed patients' movement information, the current Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' recommended guidelines to keep personal identification information confidential and delete it after 14 days will be made mandatory under the Personal Information Protection Act. Even after deletion from local government websites, movement paths shared on SNS and other platforms are being detected and deleted by local government internet quarantine teams centered around the PIPC. From May to August, 4,555 deletion cases were confirmed.

Yoon Jong-in, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, stated, “Only the personal information absolutely necessary during the quarantine process will be handled, and we will continuously monitor to ensure the safe management of the public’s valuable personal information.” He added, “We ask the public to support the whole-of-government response to overcome the COVID-19 crisis by expanding the use of QR code-based electronic entry logs, which can be used with greater peace of mind.”

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