13
April
2009
|
13:55 PM
America/Los_Angeles

Korean Presidential Office Bypasses Real Name Law - Posts Videos On Foreign YouTube

[Hat tip Korean reporter Koo bonkwon, who works for The Hankeoreh.]

South Korea is one of the most "online" societies in the world. So it is very interesting to see how the population and the government are dealing with the issues that the Internet brings, such as the power of bloggers, and the power of anonymous commentary because these things are waiting for us in our future.

The government has attempted to deal with some very embarrassing online incidents by forcing Korean web sites to verify the real name of anyone that uploads files or leaves comments.

Google managed to avoid this law by disabling uploads and comments on its Korean version of YouTube, while at the same time telling people that they could continue anonymous uploads and commentary by accessing other countries' YouTube sites.

It seems that this is the preferred method for the Presidential office of South Korea, the Cheong Wa Dae.

The Korean newspaper The Hankyoreh reports that the Presidential office, of South Korea, the Cheong Wa Dae, has been using this loophole to post PR videos of President Lee Myung-bak.


While YouTube has restricted South Korean users from uploading video clips and posting comments on its Korean-version of its Web site since April 9, the Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) keeps posting public relations (PR) videos of President Lee Myung-bak on the site by registering its ID as a foreign user from another country. Internet users criticize the Cheong Wa Dae of undermining the intention of its real-name system.


Cheong Wa Dae bypasses YouTube Korea's upload limitations

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Please see:

Google Tests The Limits Of Governments - Bars Korean Users From Uploading Videos And Leaving Comments

YouTube User Needs Real-Name