[Summary] Operator of Digital Gyodoso Involved in 'Private Punishment' Controversy Arrested... Site Still Operating

Operator of Digital Gyodoso Arrested... Second Operator Emerges
Broadcasting Review Committee: "Site Blocking is 'Excessive Regulation'"

A website called 'Digital Prison' that illegally discloses personal information of individuals suspected of sex crimes. / Photo by Digital Prison homepage screen capture

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kang Joo-hee] The operator of the website "Digital Prison," which illegally discloses personal information of individuals suspected of sex crimes, was arrested on the 23rd in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Digital Prison was created with the purpose of privately punishing criminals in place of the judiciary's "lenient punishments."

However, recently, controversies arose over the operation and closure of the site as cases of abuse increased, including a university student whose personal information was disclosed on Digital Prison dying, and innocent people suffering damage due to false postings.

Digital Prison emerged in March when the Telegram "Nth Room" case, which sparked social outrage, became widely known. The operator stated, "Feeling the limitations of lenient punishments for serious criminals in South Korea, we intend to directly disclose their personal information to subject them to social judgment," explaining the reason for establishing the site.

Digital Prison received strong support from netizens who were outraged by the lack of proper disclosure or punishment of perpetrators involved in the Nth Room case. Subsequently, it began to expand by disclosing personal information of sex offenders in other cases and perpetrators of socially controversial incidents.

However, cases of abuse followed, such as posting personal information of innocent people or insufficient fact verification. Personal information was indiscriminately disclosed merely because individuals caused social controversy unrelated to crimes. This included the disclosure of personal information of the judge who refused the extradition of Son Jung-woo, the operator of the child sexual exploitation site "Welcome to Video (W2V)."

Photo by Yonhap News

In August, controversy arose when a person with the same name but unrelated to the Miryang sexual assault case was identified as the criminal, leading to deletion and an apology. A medical school professor whose personal information was disclosed on suspicion of "attempting to purchase sexual exploitation material" was found to be completely innocent after police investigation. In July, a university student whose personal information was disclosed appealed their innocence but took an extreme step.

As cases of indiscriminate exposure of others' information without sufficient verification continued, concerns about the abuse of private sanctions began to grow. It was also pointed out as a problem whether it is appropriate for civilians to disclose others' personal information, even if they are clear criminal offenders.

On the other hand, some analyze that the background behind the emergence and public support of Digital Prison lies in public distrust of the judiciary, which has imposed weak punishments on criminals. The public's concern is that the judiciary has not sufficiently punished criminals so far, and that just punishment will be difficult to achieve under the current judicial system.

Professor Lee Soo-jung of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University appeared on a radio program last month and said, "Even by international standards, South Korea's punishments for sexual violence, especially involving children, are very lenient. Since national penal authority is insufficient, individuals step forward to seek revenge for society with a public interest purpose. This resonates with people." She added, "However, it is clear that this is illegal. It must never happen that human rights violations occur by disclosing all personal information of people who have not been convicted."

Digital Prison was reportedly blocked on the 8th, but three days later, on the 11th, a statement was posted on the homepage's main screen by a person claiming to be the second-term operator.

In the statement, he promised, "From now on, we will disclose personal information only when there is clear evidence visible to anyone, such as court rulings or media press releases." As of 10 a.m. on the 24th, Digital Prison is still operating.

The Korea Communications Standards Commission decided not to block access to the Digital Prison site. Although there is a possibility of harm due to the site being abused as a tool for private revenge, they judged that blocking the entire site would raise concerns of "excessive regulation."

Meanwhile, on the 23rd, the police arrested a man in his 30s, identified as A, the operator of Digital Prison, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The police plan to investigate the motive for the crime once A is repatriated to South Korea. Regarding this, the police also stated they will check whether A has any accomplices.

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