Gender Minister: Google Must Take Responsibility for Failure to Protect Victims’ Data

SEOUL, September 11 - Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong stated on Friday that Google must bear responsibility for any legal breaches related to an alleged data leak involving victims of digital sex crimes. Personal information of the victims, who had requested the removal of illegally recorded videos, was exposed from a foreign research project website collaborating with Google and subsequently removed following a government request.

Minister Won emphasized the significant responsibility a globally influential platform like Google has to safeguard and manage sensitive victim information securely. She warned against dismissing the issue as a mere technical error or mistake, urging Google to take the severity of the situation seriously and respond responsibly to both victims and the public.

The gender equality minister's ministry is currently collaborating with the Korea Media and Communications Commission to investigate potential legal violations, including those under the sexual violence punishment law. Google has apologized for the data leak, stating it promptly requested the operator to delete the information upon learning of it. The company has also pledged not to share any deletion requests from South Korea with external parties as part of their follow-up measures, according to Minister Won.