Korea privacy watchdog seeks public views on AI data rules

The Personal Information Protection Commission said Thursday it will convene 200 citizens at Yonsei University on Nov. 1 to debate how artificial intelligence should handle personal data, opening registration for the third in a series of public forums on government policy.

The commission is holding the event jointly with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and is recruiting participants from Oct. 1 to Oct. 11 through the ministry's website and Tonghap Hyeoksin 24. Participants will study preparatory materials before the session, which will pair expert presentations with small-group discussions on the tension between protecting personal data and putting it to use.

The commission received public proposals through August and plans to publish a policy direction reflecting the main submissions before the end of the year.

"In the AI era, how we use data safely is becoming a more important task than how much of it we secure," said Song Kyung-hee, chair of the commission. "We will push ahead quickly with the institutional improvements that new ways of using data require."

Song added that the commission would support the pseudonymized data utilization support center and the personal information innovation zone so they can grow into hubs for data innovation built on public trust.

Online comments are being collected alongside the in-person event. Anyone can submit views through Tonghap Hyeoksin 24 on how personal information should be protected and used in the AI era, and those submissions will be shared at the forum. Details on how to register and the event schedule are available on the same platform.

The Nov. 1 session is the third in the government's "Everyone's Debate" program, which the interior ministry has been running on policy issues that directly affect daily life.