Blocked Digital Prison Boldly Thrives Online

KCSC Blocks Illegal Sites
Web Page Capture Sites Archived
Posts Also Shared Online

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] It has been confirmed that illegal sites blocked by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) are being stored and posted on certain sites that capture and save web pages. In the case of Digital Prison, which was controversial last year, the site is stored in a state similar to before it was blocked, and posts are openly shared.

On the 8th, when entering the Digital Prison URL on a site that captures and saves web pages for viewing, posts that are currently blocked could be seen. The site had fully restored the Digital Prison main page, including the list of criminals, site introduction, notices, and report/inquiry sections. In particular, the list of criminals was identical to when the site was operating normally. Clicking on the photo or post title of a person claimed by the Digital Prison operator to be a criminal allowed users to see personal information such as name and contact details, as well as the reasons for being listed, just as before the site was blocked. Additionally, comments left by netizens at the time were also preserved and accessible.

Digital Prison emerged with the intent to publicly disclose personal information to subject digital sex crimes such as the Telegram Nth Room and Doctor’s Room cases to social judgment. However, it sparked various controversies, including the posting of personal information unrelated to digital sex crimes, and on September 24 last year, the KCSC’s Communications Deliberation Subcommittee decided to block access. The subcommittee stated the reason for blocking was that "posting various personal information could lead to double punishment or cause innocent victims who are difficult to restore."

Despite the access block to Digital Prison, the posts remain virtually openly accessible. The site that captures and saves the Digital Prison web pages and allows viewing has been operating since 2012, initially hosting servers in France and currently in Germany. Moreover, anyone can use this function for free. Illegal sites, once saved, can be continuously viewed in their pre-blocked state simply by entering the URL later. Therefore, web pages containing illegal pornography or promoting North Korea’s regime can also be viewed through this site.

The KCSC has taken action. A KCSC official explained, "Since Digital Prison has already been reviewed, we will seek cooperation from the site to delete related content. If deletion is not done voluntarily, we plan to submit the content for review and have blocking measures implemented." However, the formation of the 5th KCSC committee is delayed, so if voluntary action is not taken, it may take some time to proceed with blocking through review. The term of the 4th KCSC ended on January 29 this year, but the political parties responsible for recommending candidates have delayed nominations, causing the delay in committee formation.

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