In light of an alarming rise in privacy violations concerning its artists, HYBE Labels has initiated a strict crackdown on any individuals found profiting from the unauthorized sale of flight information belonging to HYBE artists.
This decision was made in response to a growing number of cases where fans have gained access to and misused confidential information, such as seat assignments and travel itineraries, in order to violate the privacy of their favorite celebrities.
WTF IS THIS… THEY CAN’T EVEN GET THROUGH & BARELY MOVE pic.twitter.com/1VvRJaQsUt
— Moon (@nksunbaem) June 14, 2024
On June 18, the company released a comprehensive public statement, addressing the seriousness of the problem and their proactive efforts to address it.
“There have been frequent cases where some have gone far as arbitrarily changing artists’ seats and in-flight meals or canceling their flight reservations, causing disturbances to their schedules.”
According to HYBE, the unauthorized acquisition and dissemination of artists’ flight details has resulted in cases of stalking and unauthorized contact attempts by overly enthusiastic fans.
In some cases, offenders have gone to extreme lengths such as tampering with flight reservations and changing in-flight plans, resulting in major disruptions to the schedules and personal lives of artists.
To address this widespread issue, HYBE created a specialized task force in September of last year.
“Based on the submitted evidence, the investigative agencies conducted long-term domestic and overseas investigations.
In May, they identified suspects, including those presumed to be foreigners, and conducted additional detailed investigations.
The suspects are accused of profiting tens of millions to hundreds of millions of won from selling artists’ flight ticket information through social media channels over an extended period.”
This team has been actively monitoring social media platforms to identify any accounts that are illegally selling idols’ flight information.
Despite facing challenges, HYBE has effectively identified and reported multiple operators responsible for these unlawful activities to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
The accused individuals, who may include foreigners, are being charged in accordance with South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Act and other applicable laws.
I don’t have words for this. This is the comments under the video that was shared yesterday where Kook and Jaehyun- is that right were eating. Approached by that foreign sasaeng.I reported that page which posted this video. I forgot to copy the link 😭 pic.twitter.com/rGLzrhBcbU
— Joonie n Sree⁷ Muse (@hwayangyonhwa_5) October 27, 2023
The inquiry, which covered both national and global areas, resulted in May with the detection of various suspects.
The resolute and prompt measures implemented by HYBE have received immense backing from netizens, who have voiced their relief and endorsement for the company’s firm stance against breaches of privacy.
Despite the intrusive behaviors, social media reactions have been primarily positive, as many have applauded HYBE for its proactive measures in protecting its artists.
- “This was well done.”
- “Good!”
- “This is genuinely praiseworthy.”
- “Wow… Well done, really… I commend them… This is the way to handle it. Really well done.”
- “Really well handled.”
- “Finally dealing with the crazies. FINALLY! They’re finally cracking down on the issue. Wow, what a relief…”
- “Wow, well done.”
- “Wow, making hundreds of millions from that is insane.”
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