Anonymous Posting Made Illegal in South Korea

image 1 Problems of Internet slander or bullying are very common these days, and governments across the globe are struggling to find ways to deal with them. For this very reason, South Korea brought in a new lawsuit called “Cyber Defamation Law” effective since April 1, 2009. According to this lawsuit, posting “anonymously” online is ILLEGAL. South Korea wants to ensure that people are more responsible while posting content online and are accountable for what they say.

According to this lawsuit:

“Any Internet user commenting or uploading to a website that has over 100,000 unique visitors a day MUST append their real name to the comments they make. Sites must identify whether they meet the number of visitors threshold. If they do, the registration process must require the visitor wishing to post something to enter his national identification number.”

According to the Internet Defamation Blog, the Cyber Defamation Law could have been a reaction to the “dog poop girl” story.

  • A woman failed to clean up, after her dog defecated on a public transit.
  • Someone took pictures of this and posted them on the Internet.
  • The result:
    • She became a public outcast
    • Had to quit school
    • Had to move away from her home!!!

Do you think that such a Cyber Defamation Law should be implemented in other countries as well?

I personally feel there’s no harm in revealing your identity. If someone has to post something online, he/she might as well reveal who they really are. If what’s being posted is not “ethically wrong”, then what’s there to hide?

(Source: Internet Defamation Blog)

4 Comments

Hash May 10, 2009

Governments… Wonder what’ll happen in India, Pakistan and in the Arab world. I’ll be interested in what the taliban come out with. Maybe…

– A girl needs to be sitting in the company of men known to her before she can post.
– She needs to wear a burqa before she posts.
– Oops, how would we ID her then?… Let’s ask the maulana.
– If you post anonymous, your bottoms will be whipped and that will not be done anonymously.

Swati May 11, 2009

@ Hash,
😀 ROLF, you have a wicked sense of humor!!!! It’s entertaining… Keep coming back with your funny comments.

Hash May 10, 2009

I like the phrase… “Dog poop Girl”. This story’s got everything in it… animals, shit and gals. Bollywood…. you have a script!

Swati May 11, 2009

…and lol for your bollywood comment.
Now that you’ve mentioned it, the “Dog poop Girl” story does appear to be a bollywood blockbuster… at least it seems to have the potential – romance, comedy, drama… you could have it all! Plus, the killer characters you’ve mentioned…aha… bollywood has a script indeed! 😛