Google Leaks Victims’ Deletion Request Information... Won Minkyoung Says "Legal Action Under Review"

Leak of Digital Sex Crime Victims' Deletion Requests
Government Demands Thorough Investigation from Google

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family confirmed that information regarding deletion requests from victims of illegal filming submitted to Google was illegally exposed on external websites. After undertaking emergency removal and blocking measures, the Ministry announced additional actions on September 11, 2026. It intends to verify whether Google has safely managed the victims' sensitive information and, if any violations are discovered, to hold Google legally accountable.

On the morning of September 11 at the Government Complex Seoul, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Minkyoung held a briefing on the leak of information related to digital sex crime victims from Google and announced these measures.

Minister Won stated, "Records of deletion requests for illegal videos submitted by victims to Google should never be shared externally. However, some of those requests were leaked to external sites via Google. This is a serious issue, as it causes victims additional harm." She continued, "As soon as we became aware of the matter, we demanded the immediate deletion and blocking of all related information from Google and the implicated websites, and we carried out emergency blocking through the Korea Communications Standards Commission. We have also secured an official letter from Google pledging that it will not share any deletion request data received in Korea with external parties."

When asked whether the Ministry was considering a civil lawsuit against Google in relation to this leak, Minister Won replied, "We are continuing to review the relevant laws, and in addition to pursuing complaints against Google, we are also considering various measures to support and protect the victims."

Yonhap News Agency

Previously, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family had confirmed on August 25, 2026, that information submitted by digital sex crime victims and supporting organizations such as the Korean Women’s Human Rights Institute in their requests for illegal filming content removal to Google had been publicly disclosed on external sites without authorization. When a victim of a digital sex crime finds illegal content such as non-consensual videos in search results, they may request platforms like Google to remove the content. However, during this process, information about the incident or the specific content to be removed was exposed.

The Ministry pointed out that the procedures intended to prevent the further spread of illicit videos actually resulted in additional victimization. Upon becoming aware of the incident, the Ministry immediately demanded that Google and the relevant external sites remove and block all related information and carried out emergency blocking through the Korea Communications Standards Commission. On August 28, more than 10 cases of information that could identify victims were blocked as a first step, and on September 1, the Ministry further blocked approximately 200 additional cases related to the Korean Women’s Human Rights Institute and similar keywords. On September 7, it was confirmed that all traces of requests made by individual victims or support organizations from Korea had been fully blocked on the relevant site.

The Ministry also demanded that Google thoroughly investigate the circumstances and causes of the information breach. On September 5, the Ministry held an emergency meeting, expressing deep regret over both the leak of victim data and the delay in addressing the situation. It called for a thorough fact-finding effort, rapid follow-up measures, and the establishment of recurrence prevention measures.

On September 9, Google delivered an official letter to the government pledging not to share any deletion request data received in Korea with external parties in the future. However, the Ministry maintains its position that Google’s assurances are not sufficient to conclude the matter. The Ministry is currently conducting a legal review, in collaboration with the Korea Communications Standards Commission and other related agencies, to determine whether Google violated the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes, the Telecommunications Business Act, or the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

Minister Won stated, "For a platform as globally influential as Google, the responsibility to protect and securely handle victims’ sensitive information is even greater. If any violations are confirmed, Google must be held legally accountable."

She also asserted that this incident cannot be dismissed as a simple technical glitch or a mistake. "Google must recognize the severity of this case and demonstrate accountability to both the victims and the public," said Minister Won. "The government will continue to rigorously monitor whether Google’s measures to prevent a recurrence are both effective and actually implemented."

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