Ahead of the June 3 ninth nationwide local elections, controversy is spreading over so-called "digital election spam" as voters are bombarded with unwanted campaign text messages and group chat room invitations. With cases mounting of voters being randomly added to candidate support group chats or receiving multiple campaign messages a day, concerns are growing that personal information may have been used without consent.
According to industry sources on the 31st, voter complaints have risen sharply alongside a recent surge in campaigning through KakaoTalk, text messages, and social media. Some voters say their daily lives are being disrupted as supporters of certain candidates invite unspecified large numbers of people to KakaoTalk open chat rooms to conduct campaign activities.
On online communities and social media, complaints have poured in, including: "I woke up in the morning to find I had been invited to a candidate support group chat," "Hundreds of chat notifications piled up, making it hard to even check my phone," and "Randomly inviting strangers under the pretext of campaigning goes too far."
In one group chat, it was confirmed that a specific candidate's donation account number and promotional materials were shared, along with notices urging participants to invite their acquaintances.
Campaign text messages have also stirred controversy. Recently, a candidate running for a district seat in Seoul drew backlash after sending a reply containing inappropriate language to a citizen who had requested to be removed from the campaign messaging list. The candidate explained it was a mistake, but the controversy did not die down easily.
The problem is that most such digital campaigning is permitted under the current Public Official Election Act. Anyone other than those barred from campaigning is allowed to engage in election activities through text messages, social media, or messaging apps. Ordinary voters, in principle, are also allowed to appeal for support of a particular candidate through group chats or social media.
However, observers point out that collecting personal information without consent and using it for campaigning could violate the Personal Information Protection Act. The Personal Information Protection Commission has reportedly received numerous complaints recently regarding suspected unauthorized collection of personal data for election purposes.
Experts say that as digital campaigning expands, institutional discussions are needed to strike a balance between protecting voters' personal information and ensuring freedom of campaigning. They argue that guidelines should be established to minimize unwanted text barrages and indiscriminate group chat invitations while still guaranteeing the freedom of election campaigning.
