Gender Ministry considers criminal charges against Google over leaked victim data

Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said on  Wednesday that it is considering filing criminal charges against Google after the personal information of victims who had requested the removal of illegally filmed content was leaked to a third-party website.

The controversy began after the victims’ personal information was found on an overseas research project site that collaborates with Google. The data was deleted from the website at the request of the Gender Ministry and Korea Communications Standards Commission.

Google apologized to the victims and stressed that its principle was not to share people’s personal information with the site. It also stated that it had asked the website operator to delete the information as soon as the matter was brought to its attention.

The ministry is reportedly reviewing relevant laws to determine what charges could apply to Google.

Either the ministry or its affiliate, the Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea, is expected to file the complaint. The institute runs the National Center for Digital Sexual Crime Response, which provides counseling for victims of digital sex crimes, helps with the removal of illegally filmed content and connects victims to legal, investigative and medical resources.

BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]