ID :
208193
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 08:48
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/208193
The shortlink copeid
Cabinet approves law to better protect personal information
SEOUL, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- In an attempt to better protect the personal information of South Koreans, Cabinet passed a law Tuesday allowing membership of popular Web sites without needing to provide one's personal identification number, the home affairs ministry said.
Under the enforcement ordinance, Internet sites with an average of more than 10,000 visitors per day must provide an alternative means of gaining membership, instead of a personal identification number.
The main act to set up new principles of protecting and managing personal information is scheduled to come into force on Sept. 30.
The law also requires workers handling personal information in both public and private sectors to take all measures necessary to ensure information such as personal ID numbers and passport numbers is safe from being lost, stolen, leaked, falsified or damaged.
In addition, genetic information and criminal records will be added to the nation's list of "sensitive information" requiring special protection, the ministry said. The list currently includes ideological inclinations, convictions, associations with labor unions and political parties, political views and health conditions.
Approval of the changes came after a series of security breaches at South Korea's leading Internet portals and financial firms spurred concerns about private data protection.
Samsung Card Co., the country's leading credit card firm, asked the police last week to investigate an employee regarding the suspected leakage of personal data on an estimated 800,000 customers, including their names and mobile phone numbers.
In July, SK Communications Co., the operator of South Korea's third most-visited Internet portal, said that its two popular Web sites were hacked, compromising the private information of 35 million users.
Hackers also struck the country's leading consumer finance firm Hyundai Capital Services Inc. in April, and leaked the data of some 1.8 million customers.
Under the enforcement ordinance, Internet sites with an average of more than 10,000 visitors per day must provide an alternative means of gaining membership, instead of a personal identification number.
The main act to set up new principles of protecting and managing personal information is scheduled to come into force on Sept. 30.
The law also requires workers handling personal information in both public and private sectors to take all measures necessary to ensure information such as personal ID numbers and passport numbers is safe from being lost, stolen, leaked, falsified or damaged.
In addition, genetic information and criminal records will be added to the nation's list of "sensitive information" requiring special protection, the ministry said. The list currently includes ideological inclinations, convictions, associations with labor unions and political parties, political views and health conditions.
Approval of the changes came after a series of security breaches at South Korea's leading Internet portals and financial firms spurred concerns about private data protection.
Samsung Card Co., the country's leading credit card firm, asked the police last week to investigate an employee regarding the suspected leakage of personal data on an estimated 800,000 customers, including their names and mobile phone numbers.
In July, SK Communications Co., the operator of South Korea's third most-visited Internet portal, said that its two popular Web sites were hacked, compromising the private information of 35 million users.
Hackers also struck the country's leading consumer finance firm Hyundai Capital Services Inc. in April, and leaked the data of some 1.8 million customers.
