South Korean Gender Minister Demands Google Take Responsibility for Victim Data Leak

Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong stated on Friday that Google must be held legally responsible if violations are discovered regarding the leak of personal data belonging to digital sex crime victims. The leaked information, which included names and contact details of individuals who had requested the removal of illegally filmed videos, was found on a foreign research project website collaborating with Google. The data was removed only after the South Korean government demanded its deletion.

During a press briefing, Minister Won emphasized that a global platform like Google carries a heavy responsibility to protect sensitive victim information. She stated that the incident should not be dismissed as a simple system error or mistake. The ministry is currently working with the Korea Media and Communications Commission to investigate potential legal violations, including breaches of the sexual violence punishment law. Additionally, the Personal Information Protection Commission has launched an investigation into the leak.

Google has apologized for the incident and attributed the leak to technical errors. The company stated it requested the operator to delete the information as soon as it became aware of the issue. As part of follow up measures, Google has pledged not to share deletion requests from South Korea with outside parties. The ministry is also examining whether similar vulnerabilities exist on other online platforms.