Access to online pornography should be regulated: KCC

With most Koreans using the Internet and mobile devices, illegal and harmful information on the Internet is on the rise. According to last year’s statistics, the number of smartphone users exceeded 40 million, about 80 percent of the total population.

During the same period, requests for correcting illegal information made by the Korea Communications Standards Commission also increased 28 percent to 130,000 cases from a year ago. Among them, content on prostitution and pornography made up the largest portion, 50,000 cases. We should come up with countermeasures promptly. 

With smartphone users getting younger, issues like smartphone addiction and access to harmful content have increased drastically. Distortion of sexual awareness among the youth has sometimes led to copycat crimes. The growing use of social media has also made it easier for them to share obscene and violent information. 

   The Korea Communications Commission amended the Telecommunications Business Act in April that obliges all mobile carriers to provide tools such as apps to block harmful content including pornography for underage users.

Mobile subscribers aged under 19 are required to install free or paid apps that block harmful online content, even though their legal representatives, mostly parents, are allowed to refuse the app installation. When they are suspected of removing the apps, the legal representatives will be notified to have them reinstall the apps.

Since the bill took effect, there were 330,000 new underage mobile subscribers as of June and most of them have installed the apps following the guidance.

Despite some concerns about “excessive invasion of privacy,” the KCC will continue to make efforts for the soft-landing of the bill. We believe social consensus has already been formed on the negative impact of harmful content and the need for the protection of youth.

The KCC also will work with education offices of local governments nationwide to promote Smart Sheriff, a government-funded free app that aims to protect the youth from harmful mobile content.

The Internet is an open space for everyone and that doesn’t necessarily mean that no one takes responsibility for their behavior there. All of us must work together to make the Internet a sea of useful information and a channel for better communications. 

By Lee Ki-joo

The author is commissioner of the Korea Communications Commission, the nation’s telecom watchdog. The views reflected in this article are his own.– Ed.