The current plea is for the public to show interest and provide support for a legislative petition that addresses the seizure of profits and imposition of penalties for cyberwreckers.
On July 28th, the two attorneys released a statement announcing the submission of a petition to the National Assembly on July 22nd. The proposed amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act (also known as the “Cyberwrecker Prevention Act”) seeks to seize profits and impose punitive damages on those who spread fake news.
The legislation and judiciary committee of the National Assembly can receive a bill through the public petition system if it garners support from 50,000 citizens within a period of 30 days.
The lawyers stressed that a large number of famous individuals have been severely impacted by the dissemination of false information by online saboteurs. Despite the extensive harm inflicted, there has been minimal means for the affected parties to seek retribution, and the proliferation of online saboteurs and fake news continues to grow unchecked.
The investigation period for defamation cases involving false information was noted to be lengthy, and the penalties and compensation for victims were considered to be very low. This legal framework and process have inherent structural flaws that result in significant profits for cyberwreckers.
The lawyers emphasized that cyberwreckers often avoid taking social responsibility and instead make large profits from YouTube or by blackmailing victims through broadcasting. However, the current legal system is insufficient in preventing this behavior. They argued that in order to effectively deter cyberwreckers, it is crucial to eliminate their financial gains from spreading false information, in addition to the existing criminal penalties and compensation measures.
The group suggested that it is necessary to implement a system that allocates all profits made from spreading fake news (such as channel and advertising revenues, and extorted funds) towards compensating the victims or having them seized by the government. This is the reasoning behind their submission of the “Cyberwrecker Prevention Act”petition to the National Assembly.
It has recently come to light that YouTubers Goo Je-yeok, Caracula (whose real name is Lee Se-wook), and Jeon Guk-jin were involved in extorting money from Tzuyang, a renowned YouTuber with 10 million subscribers. This revelation has caused quite a commotion.
Currently, Goo Je-yeok and Jeon Guk-jin are being investigated, sparking a growing outcry among netizens to combat cyberwreckers and their rampant dissemination of false information.
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