Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications establishes meeting to consider legal issues regarding blocking as a measure against information leaks

In response to a series of information leaks due to unauthorized access, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Hisayuki Fujii announced on the 10th that he will establish a panel of experts to consider legal issues surrounding ``blocking,'' the process by which telecommunications carriers cut off connections to specific websites. Countermeasures will be discussed, keeping in mind the case where personal information leaked through unauthorized access is made public on the Internet.

Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Fujii said at a press conference, ``Cyber ​​attacks are causing widespread damage to the nation.We will consider what we can do to protect ourselves.''

Since blocking is based on the premise of monitoring the communications of all Internet users, it is a strong method that could lead to a violation of the ``secrecy of communications,'' a right guaranteed by the constitution. In addition to blocking, the panel of experts will discuss methods such as requesting site management companies to delete content and suspending domains that correspond to online addresses.

The trigger is GMO

Regarding blocking, on October 27, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, through industry groups, requested telecommunications companies to cut off connections to blackmail sites where attackers had published personal information purportedly belonging to customers on the sites, in connection with unauthorized access to GMO Internet.

However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said, ``This is an ongoing case...