Anonymous KnowledgeiN Answers Exposed... Celebrities Rattled by Naver "Error"

Past KnowledgeiN Answers Exposed During "KnowledgeiN" Update
Feature Rolled Back After Rapid Spread on SNS and Online Communities
Posts Containing Slang and Personal Opinions Made Public
Naver Says It Was "An Error in the Service Linking Process"
Platform’s Responsibility for Personal Information Protection Under Fire

As a mishap led to the exposure of answers that celebrities, politicians, athletes, and other public figures had written anonymously in the past on Naver KnowledgeiN, controversy over invasion of privacy is growing. In particular, as posts were indiscriminately disclosed without the consent of the individuals concerned, criticism is mounting over the platform's responsibility for protecting personal information.

Yonhap News Agency

On the evening of the 4th, a new "KnowledgeiN" button was added to Naver’s people profiles, and some of the questions and answers that famous figures had left in the past on the Naver KnowledgeiN service were partially made public. Because many of these posts had originally been written anonymously, they spread rapidly through online communities and social networking services (SNS), further fueling the controversy.

As the backlash intensified, Naver restored the feature to its previous state the same day. Naver stated that this was "an error that occurred during a recent service update" and added, "We recognized the problem and have completed the necessary measures." However, it is reported that the company is internally reviewing the exact circumstances and its response plan. This incident is known to have occurred after Naver introduced a feature last year that links people information with KnowledgeiN content in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the KnowledgeiN service. Analysts say that the attempt to increase users’ time spent on the platform by combining user-participation content with people information has led to an unexpected controversy over personal data.

An anonymous Naver KnowledgeiN account of Cheon Haram, floor leader of the Reform New Party, was exposed due to a Naver system error. The account has since been deleted. Naver KnowledgeiN

Among the exposed posts, some contained past personal opinions or immature expressions by well-known figures, which further stoked controversy. In politics, posts written by Chun Haram, floor leader of the Reform New Party, during his university years drew attention. It became known that in July 2004, in response to a question asking, "Is gender discrimination at Korea University severe?", he left a comment to the effect that "Not all male students at Korea University are sexually frustrated perverts."

In the sports world, mixed martial artist Myung Hyunman was found to have responded to a user asking whether he could win at least one match if he advanced to the UFC, leaving an analysis that while his striking ability is strong, his ground skills are a weakness. Broadcaster Hong Jinkyung also drew attention when her answer to a question about "how to stop height growth" was made public.

There were positive cases as well. Poet Na Taeju personally granted permission to a user asking whether they could use his poem, replying that it was "an interesting thing even from the original author's standpoint." Star lecturer Lee Jiyoung was also found to have shared her own experiences and left words of encouragement to a student seeking advice about career choices. Professional gamer Faker is also known to have posted various questions, including difficult math problems and game-related queries.

However, some argue that this incident cannot be dismissed as a mere mishap. They warn that linking content written on the premise of anonymity to people profiles, thereby making users’ private remarks public, could damage trust in the platform. Analysts also point out that if past posts clash with a person’s current social status or public image, they can impose a considerable burden on the individual.

The issue of protecting platform users has also resurfaced. As online services grow based on user-generated content, there are increasing calls to clearly define the scope of disclosure for past data and the standards for personal information protection. Some experts note that "even anonymous posts can be regarded as personal information the moment there is a possibility of identifying an individual," and stress that "it is necessary to examine whether procedures to protect user rights were sufficiently reviewed during the service update process." Naver has currently suspended the related feature and is reviewing additional response measures. The industry expects this incident to prompt stricter scrutiny of how major platforms utilize data and implement personal information protection policies.

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