TVING consumer consultation triples in one year... Aftermath of account sharing restrictions and information leaks
Quick Look
Rep. Chang-min Han said that as a result of analyzing data from the Korea Consumer Agency, consumer consultations related to TVing increased by 297.3% to 441 cases last year compared to the previous year, and emphasized the need to separately identify damage and provide practical relief after a personal information leak incident.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
TVING received backlash from consumers due to its policy of restricting account sharing, and later a personal information leak occurred, and information from about 39.54 million accounts was found to be exposed.
Han Chang-min "Consumer damage related to personal information leaks must be separately identified."
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeong Soo-yeon = Consumer consultations related to online video service (OTT) TVing were found to have nearly tripled last year compared to the previous year.
Last year, there were many consumer consultations due to the controversy over account sharing restrictions, and this year, there was an increase in consumer consultations seeking relief for related damages due to personal information leakage incidents.
According to an analysis of data submitted by the Korea Consumer Agency on the 14th by Social Democratic Party lawmaker Han Chang-min, a member of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee, the number of TVing-related consumer consultations received at the 1372 Consumer Counseling Center increased by 297.3% from 111 in 2024 to 441 last year.
On a monthly basis, 276 cases were received in March last year alone, accounting for 62.6% of the yearly total.
At the time, TVING announced a policy to restrict account sharing outside of the same household and attempted to apply the changed policy to existing annual pass purchasers, causing consumer backlash.
Afterwards, TVING decided to maintain the previous terms of use for existing buyers until the end of the contract.
This year, 109 consumer consultations were received from January to the 10th.
Last June, when the personal information leak occurred, 19 cases were filed, and in September, when the investigation results and compensation plan were announced, 16 cases were filed.
On September 3, the government's public-private joint investigation team announced that the personal information of approximately 39.54 million accounts, including active, inactive, and withdrawn members, had been leaked from Teabing.
Tving is accepting applications for compensation from affected users and has extended the application period to the 30th of this month.
Rep. Han said, “The Korea Consumer Agency must separately identify consumer damages related to personal information leaks and play an active role in helping to lead to practical damage relief, such as dispute mediation and litigation support.”
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Applications for additional damage will increase after Teabing extends the compensation application period.
Likely · Within weeks
The Korea Consumer Agency will begin to separately identify consumer damage related to personal information leaks.
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- How many victims are expected by the 30th deadline for applying for compensation?
- What is the possibility of secondary damage due to personal information leakage?
- What is Korea Consumer Agency’s specific damage relief plan?
