Government Publishes 'Personal Information Protection Guide' to Address Users' Questions on Generative AI

Personal Information Protection Commission Selects Eight Key Issues from Public Proposals and Petitions
A Comprehensive Guide from AI Data Processing Methods to Practical Guidelines

The Personal Information Protection Commission announced on the 19th that it has published the "Personal Information Protection Guide for Users of Generative AI Services" to address questions that may arise when using generative artificial intelligence (AI), and to help individuals manage their personal information safely on their own.

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Generative AI services are rapidly spreading into all aspects of daily life and work for the general public, such as document writing, information retrieval, and schedule management. As a result, there is growing interest and concern about how the information entered is processed, whether it is used for training, and if it is transferred overseas. According to a survey by the Korea Press Foundation, about 9 out of 10 adults (89%) are concerned about personal information infringement caused by generative AI.

The Commission produced the guide with a focus on enhancing users’ AI literacy. Based on public petitions, policy proposals, and major consultation cases, eight key issues with high public relevance were selected. Discussions were then conducted by the Subcommittee on Data Subject Rights (Subcommittee 3) under the "AI Privacy Public-Private Policy Council," which includes experts from academia, the legal community, industry, and civil society.

The guide visually presents the entire process of how personal information is handled, from data collection to AI training and the service usage phase, to deepen user understanding. Specifically, it explains: ▲ whether the information entered is used for AI training ▲ settings for saving or deleting conversation history ▲ precautions when entering work-related materials or internal organizational information ▲ how to respond if an AI answer contains personal information ▲ cautions when using external service integration features, among others. It also provides information on features that users can check and control themselves, such as opting out (refusing use for training).

The Commission expressed its expectation that the guide will help reduce anxiety about using generative AI services. It also noted that companies and developers can use the guide as reference material when designing services.

Song Kyunghee, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, stated, "The core of this guide is to enable the public to easily and accurately understand the personal information processing structures that were previously obscured behind the complex mechanisms of generative AI services." She added, "Going forward, we will support users so that they can enjoy the convenience of AI while retaining practical control over their own information, for example through opting out when necessary. We will concentrate our policy efforts on creating a safe and trustworthy AI usage environment."

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