Digital Prison Quiet for a Month... First Operator Heads to Trial

Digital Prison That Revived Every Time Has Not Resumed Operation for a Month
First-Generation Operator Arrested and Indicted... Low Possibility of Innocence

The first operator A of the internet site 'Digital Prison,' which illegally discloses personal information such as the faces and names of sex offenders, is being forcibly deported through Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on the 6th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The website 'Digital Prison,' which sparked controversy for unauthorized disclosure of personal information of sex offenders and others, has been offline for over a month. Originally, the site repeatedly changed its address to continue operations despite access blocks imposed by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC). Since the first operator was apprehended and the second operator has completely disappeared, the likelihood of the site resuming operations at this point appears low.

Since the second address of Digital Prison was blocked by the KCSC decision on the 5th of last month, there have been no signs of resuming operations. All social network service (SNS) accounts such as Twitter and Instagram, which used to provide new addresses whenever access was blocked, as well as the Telegram chat rooms used for posting announcements related to Digital Prison, have all disappeared.

The police are tracking the whereabouts of the second operator who inherited the site from the first operator. The Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency, investigating the case, revealed that the second operator was identified as the operator or associate of 'Juhonggeulssi' (The Scarlet Letter), who claimed to be a vigilante on Telegram and conducted personal information disclosure activities targeting sex offenders and others.

The first operator of the site, Mr. A (33), was indicted in custody on the 2nd. He was arrested in Vietnam last September and extradited to South Korea on charges of unauthorized posting of personal information and court verdicts related to suspects and persons involved in digital sex crimes, murder, child abuse, and other cases through the Digital Prison website and Instagram account since March this year.

With Mr. A being indicted, attention is focused on the legal consequences he may face. Some suggest the possibility of acquittal for the Digital Prison operator, citing cases where operators of 'Bad Fathers' and 'Bad Parents,' who disclosed personal information of parents who failed to pay child support, were acquitted by the courts.

However, legal circles predict that the same standards applied in those cases will be difficult to apply here. Unlike those recognized for the public interest purpose of personal information disclosure activities, Digital Prison is seen as having spread false information and that the disclosure activities themselves are closer to defamation of specific individuals.

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