Korea to evaluate privacy policies at 49 entities

[Courtesy of Personal Information Protection Commission]

South Korea will evaluate privacy policies at 49 major companies and institutions that are integral to daily life for the first time in 2024.

The Personal Information Protection Commission said Thursday that it confirmed the nationwide privacy policy evaluation plan during a meeting on Wednesday. Privacy policies are documents created by data handlers outlining the standards and safety measures for processing personal information, including its collection, use, provision, and delegation.

The evaluation will cover seven sectors that are closely tied to everyday life: big tech, online shopping, online platforms such as delivery and travel booking services, hospitals and clinics, over-the-top streaming services, entertainment (such as games and online comics), and artificial intelligence recruitment. A total of 49 entities were selected based on sales revenue, types of personal information processed, and legal violations, including tech and online commerce giants such as Naver Corp., Kakao Corp., Google LLC, Meta Platforms Inc., Coupang Inc., AliExpress, Temu, and Woowa Brothers Corp. Also included are the nation’s “big 5” hospitals, including Samsung Medical Center and Seoul National University Hospital, as well as Nexon Korea Corp., Netmarble Corp., and Midas In Co.

Organizations with exemplary privacy policies will receive incentives, such as reduced fines and penalties, while those that need to be improved will receive guidance. The evaluation will start with a basic and user evaluation in July and August 2024, followed by an in-depth evaluation in September. Evaluation results and objections will be notified in October, objections reviewed in November, with final results confirmed and published in December.