"To Penetrate or Block" Police vs Blind, One Side Suffers a Fatal Blow

LH 'If You Don't Like It, Quit' Mocking Post Butterfly Effect
Failed Execution of Search Warrant
Distrust in Investigation if Author Not Found
Trust Declines if Blind Is Breached

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] "If you don't like it, quit" has put the police and Blind in a showdown.

This comes as the police investigation into mocking posts written by employees of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) on the workplace community platform Blind has intensified. If the police fail to identify the author, they will face criticism for excessive or showy investigations, leading to distrust in their investigative capabilities. Conversely, if the author is identified, Blind, whose core value is anonymity, will have its trust shaken to the core.

The "LH mocking post" incident began on the 9th when anonymous posts on Blind's board such as "If you don't like it, quit," "I will work hard under a borrowed name speculating while enjoying my retirement benefits," and "This is our company's unique benefit and welfare" were revealed.

Since Blind requires authentication through a company email account, the author of the posts is presumed to be a current or former LH employee. As the posts sparked public outrage, LH filed a complaint on the 14th with the Jinju Police Station in Gyeongnam for defamation, credit damage, and insult. The police assigned the case to the Cyber Investigation Division of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency and launched a direct investigation. In the early stages, the police attempted a search and seizure but failed to locate the Korean branch of Team Blind, the operator, and only found the office after 6 p.m. The staff had already left, and the search warrant was not executed. To prove their investigative capability and restore pride, the police are in a position where they must identify the author.

Blind has been caught in the crossfire. Blind's strength lies in its strict anonymity, represented by the phrase, "Neither Blind employees nor the CEO's daughter-in-law know who you are." If the author is identified through police investigation, Blind's existence as an "anonymous workplace community" will be undermined.

Blind's subscriber information is known to be thoroughly encrypted, making it difficult to identify actual identities. However, since authentication is done via company email, there is speculation that indirect methods could be used to confirm identities. The police have experience identifying suspects without the operator's cooperation, as seen in last year's "Telegram Nth Room" case.

Choi Seung-ryeol, Director of the Investigation Bureau at the National Police Agency, said, "The issuance of a search warrant suggests that there is a possibility of investigation," adding, "Although there was a mistake in the search location, the Cyber Investigation Division of the Gyeongnam Police Agency will continue the investigation." Meanwhile, Blind must cooperate with the investigation since the warrant was issued while also proving its security. Depending on whether the author is identified, either the police or Blind will inevitably suffer damage.

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