Illegal Filming Deletion Requests Exposed... Gender Equality Ministry Reviewing Possible Legal Violations by Google

Exposure of Personal Information on Research Institute Site Collaborating with Google

Ministry Deletes and Blocks Over 200 Cases in Cooperation with Communications Standards Commission

Meetings Held with Google Representatives; Ministry Demands Stronger Recurrence Prevention Measures

A situation has occurred in which deletion request letters sent by illegal filming victims to Google, as well as records of deletion requests made by victim support institutions, were exposed in full on an external website. This prompted the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to respond urgently.

On the 8th, the Ministry announced that it became aware on August 25 that some information identifying digital sexual crime victims had been posted on ‘R-site’, a research institute collaborating with Google. The Ministry immediately requested both Google and the site to delete this information.

The Ministry also requested an emergency blocking review by the Korea Communications Standards Commission, resulting in the deletion and blocking of more than 200 cases, including 15 cases where personally identifiable information was disclosed.

The Ministry confirmed on the morning of the 7th that it had taken measures to ensure that the deletion request records submitted by victims and support organizations to Google were no longer visible on the site.

Previously, on the 4th, the Ministry held an emergency countermeasure meeting led by Minister Won Minkyoung regarding this incident, demanding Google provide a report on the circumstances as well as swift, preventive measures to avoid recurrence.

On the 5th, Minister Won held a face-to-face meeting with Yoon Goo, Vice President of Google Korea, and other representatives, where she expressed strong regret. The Ministry also demanded Google clarify the scale of the damage, explain actions taken, and establish sustainable measures to prevent recurrence.

On the 7th, a follow-up meeting was convened with Google Singapore officials, who oversee the Asia-Pacific region, to review the situation and further request improvements in the effectiveness of recurrence prevention measures.

Won Minkyoung, Minister of Gender Equality and Family. August 20, 2026. Photo by Yongjoon Cho

Together with related agencies such as the Korea Communications Standards Commission and the Korea Communications Review Board, the Ministry is also examining whether Google and ‘R-site’ violated relevant laws, including the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, the Telecommunications Business Act, the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, and the Personal Information Protection Act, and discussing possible response measures.

The Ministry stated, “We have requested a responsible commitment from Google so that we can resume information deletion requests for digital sex crime materials submitted to Google, which had been suspended due to this data breach. We have also secured an official letter from Google’s Global Vice President of Trust & Safety.”

Deletion requests for illegal filming content on Google, which had been suspended due to concerns over data leaks, will be resumed after reviewing Google’s measures to prevent recurrence and ensure safety.

The Ministry added, “We will comprehensively review Google’s recurrence prevention measures and continue to monitor their implementation to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” and emphasized, “We will establish a robust support system to protect victims and prevent secondary harms.”

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