Kakao Becomes First Domestic Company to Establish Principles for Eradicating Hate Speech

Kakao has established response principles to eradicate online hate speech. This marks the first time a domestic company has established and applied its own principles to eradicate hate speech.

Kakao spent over a year, from January 2020, engaging in deliberative processes with external experts including the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, the Korean Media Law Society, and the Media Advisory Committee. During this process, the term 'hate' was adopted as the policy term, as it has clearer harmfulness and justification for sanctions compared to 'disgust'.

Scope of Application and Policy Revisions

These principles apply only to public posting areas within services, excluding spaces where privacy must be respected, such as private KakaoTalk chats or posts in non-public communities.

Based on these principles, Kakao revised the 'Activities Prohibited When Using the Service' clause in its operational policy on January 13, 2021. The existing items regarding promoting discrimination and bias were specified as 'acts undermining human dignity, inciting violence, and promoting discrimination or bias,' and protected subjects were expanded to include gender identity and sexual orientation.