Lee Won-wook "Portal Editing and Search Algorithm Submission Should Be Mandatory"... Proposed Amendment Introduced

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] A bill has been proposed to mandate the disclosure of algorithms used for news placement and search result exposure on internet portal sites.

On the 19th, Lee Won-wook, chairman of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced that he had taken the lead in proposing an amendment to the "Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection," which requires information and communication service providers to compulsorily submit certain algorithm details they possess.

The amendment includes provisions requiring information and communication providers to annually submit algorithms related to the arrangement of internet news articles, the order, form, and criteria by which traded goods or services are exposed, to the Minister of Science and ICT and the Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission.

Concerns about bias in news algorithms have been raised multiple times. Last September, the 'Kakao News Editing Pressure Text Message' incident involving Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Young-chan sparked suspicions of manipulation of news algorithms on portal sites. Recently, a media outlet reported that an analysis of Naver News algorithms showed recommendations centered on conservative media, causing controversy.

Lee said, "The need for systematic management of algorithms to secure the legitimate rights of information and communication users and to establish a fair market order has been continuously raised," adding, "If the mandatory submission of algorithms by information and communication providers is realized through this amendment, it is expected to enhance the reliability of algorithm operations by portal and other information and communication service providers."

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