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Title	THE KCC NOTIFIES TELEGRAM OF ITS DESIGNATION AS A BUSINSS ENTITY OBLIGATED TO APPOINT A PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTION OF YOUTHS
Date	2024-11-15	Read	13218
In anticipation that Telegram will strengthen its social responsibility to protect children and youths from information harmful to youths within the institutional framework The Korea Communications Commission (KCC, Acting Chairperson Kim Tae-kyu) sent an official letter to Telegram today, November 7, to notify it that it is deemed a business entity obligated to designate a person responsible for protection of youths. The KCC has found that media products harmful to youths, such as sexual abuse crimes involving deepfake, have been actually distributed through Telegram. Accordingly, the KCC sent requests twice to Telegram in September and October to ask it to determine whether it falls under the category of business entities obligated to designate persons responsible for protection of youths and to send the KCC relevant materials. However, it has not responded to the KCC’s requests within the deadlines. Pursuant to Article 42-3 of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, under the policy of designating persons responsible for protection of youths, providers of information and communications services above a certain scale are legally required to protect children and youths in information and communications network. As such, business entities falling under this category must: Designate persons responsible for protection of youths from among executive officers or the persons in a position equivalent to the head of a department responsible for business affairs related to protection of youths. Carry out business affairs for protection of youths, including blocking and controlling information harmful to youths in the information and communications network that they provide as well as establishing a plan for protection of youths. Accordingly, the KCC has deemed that Telegram qualifies as a business entity obligated to designate a person responsible for protection of youths, as its average daily number of users exceeds 100,000 based on the data of bodies which release average numbers of daily users of information and communications service providers. Today, the KCC has requested Telegram to submit results of designating a person responsible for protection of youths, or explanatory documents if Telegram disagrees with the KCC’s judgement. Pursuant to Article 25 of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, a business entity is deemed obligated to designate a person responsible for protection of youths if its average number of users per day during three months immediately before the end of the immediately preceding year is at least 100,000 persons. Telegram’s average daily number of users was 848,000 in Q4, 2023, according to the data released by two companies specializing in surveying the number of users of information and communications providers. In light of the consistent upward trend in Telegram user base in Korea, the KCC believes that it is necessary to enforce compliance with legal responsibilities in order to create an environment where Telegram services can be used in a safe and healthy manner within the institutional framework. Therefore, the KCC plans to consistently pursue phased sanctions if Telegram does not comply with the requests from the KCC. “The KCC hopes that this notification to Telegram, informing it of its designation as a business entity obligated to appoint a person responsible for protection of youths, will serve as an opportunity for the KCC to strengthen its social responsibility as a business entity in protecting children and youths from harmful information within the institutional framework,” said the Acting Chairperson. ### The Korea Communications Commission
File	241107 (보도자료) 방통위, 텔레그램에 청소년보호책임자 지정 의무 대상사업자로 통보 (1).hwp 20241107_News_Release_Telegram Designation.docx

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