Unified Masking Rules to Standardize Inconsistent Methods on Parcel Delivery Invoices

Personal Information Protection Commission and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
to Establish Unified Masking Rules by Year-End

Going forward, the method for masking personal information on parcel delivery invoices will be standardized. Previously, each company used different masking methods, which raised concerns about personal information being exposed if several invoices were combined. To address this, a unified standard will be established.

The Personal Information Protection Commission announced on September 10 that it had approved improvements for protecting personal information on parcel delivery invoices at its general meeting. Since the beginning of this year, the Commission has been working with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to inspect 19 parcel service providers, the Korea Post, and major invoice solution companies.

When printing parcel delivery invoices, service providers apply masking to information such as names or phone numbers. However, some companies mask the middle character, while others mask the last character, resulting in inconsistent practices. For phone numbers, some companies mask the middle four digits, while others mask the last four digits. In 2021, the Personal Information Protection Commission initially recommended masking the middle character of names and the last four digits of phone numbers.

The Commission stated, "If each service provider uses different masking rules, there is a risk that when multiple parcels from different companies are delivered to the same recipient at the same time, combining the invoice information could expose the recipient's name or contact information." The Commission also announced, "We have recommended that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport establish an 'Improvement Plan for Masking Parcel Delivery Invoices.'"

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has accepted this recommendation and, after gathering opinions from parcel delivery companies, plans to establish unified masking rules for personal information on parcel delivery invoices by the end of this year.

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