BMCRC Mobilizes Full Response to Google’s Exposure of Digital Sex Crime Victim Information

Shared with International Organizations such as INHOPE,
Measures Taken to Prevent Further Harm

Urged 12 Companies Including Meta and TikTok to Establish Information Protection Systems

The Broadcasting Media and Communications Review Committee (BMCRC) announced on the 13th that it is working to prevent further harm through domestic and international cooperation networks following the case in which Google exposed victims' information, submitted during the deletion process of digital sex crime-related content, to external organizations.

Koh Kwang-hun, Chairman of the Broadcasting Media and Communications Review Committee. Yonhap News Agency

BMCRC stated that immediately after recognizing the incident on August 26, it worked in cooperation with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, directly requesting deletion from Google and the problematic sites, and conducted an emergency review. Among the deletion requests submitted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family prior to review (preemptive deletion requests before blocking access), 16 were subject to preemptive action and then corrective orders (access block). In total, deletion was requested for 42 pieces of content on the problematic sites, and Google was also requested to delete search results for keywords related to the Central Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center and BMCRC itself.

BMCRC is responding proactively to the potential for additional harm by utilizing international cooperation networks. The committee shared details of this issue with three international organizations—INHOPE (International Association of Internet Hotlines), the Global Online Safety Regulators Network (GOSRN), and the International Institute of Communications (IIC)—requesting their member countries to check both the occurrence and trends related to similar cases. BMCRC also sought cooperation from the U.S. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), an agency involved in digital sex crime prevention.

Furthermore, BMCRC communicated the gravity of the situation to 12 overseas service providers subject to corrective action requests, including Google, Meta Korea, X Korea, TikTok Korea, and to Cloudflare, a global Content Delivery Network (CDN) company. BMCRC strongly urged the establishment of robust systems for information management and protection. The committee stressed that the deletion request documents contain sensitive personal information regarding the victims of digital sex crimes and demanded that such information be rigorously managed to prevent external sharing or redistribution.

Koh Kwang-hun, Chairman of the Broadcasting Media and Communications Review Committee, stated, "This incident is a grave matter that disregarded the helping hands for victims of digital sex crimes," adding, "We will do our utmost to work with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, as well as with the relevant domestic and overseas agencies and businesses, to ensure prompt resolution and prevent any further harm."

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