James Delahunty
13 Apr 2009 17:05
Google Inc.'s YouTube service has technically complied with the new Cyber Defamation Law in South Korea, by taking actions which seem to purposely be ineffective. The Cyber Defamation Law requires that all users who upload videos on a site that gets more than 100,000 visitors a day, provide their real name and national ID card number.
YouTube decided that instead of creating a new submission and registration system that would cater to the Korean government, it would simply block all uploads and comments from users in South Korea. Of course, if a user in South Korea simply changed their preference setting to a country other than South Korea, uploading and commenting won't be a problem.
"We have a bias in favor of freedom of expression and are committed to openness," said Lucinda Barlow, a spokeswoman for YouTube in Asia. "It's very important that if users want to be anonymous that they have that chance." The decision was taken after close consultation and debate between Google Korea and its headquarters.
The Cyber Defamation Law is a government response to the suicide of Choi Jin Sil, a popular actress, in October. The case brought cyber-bullying to the limelight in a country that has a very high number of Internet users.