December 3, 2004
Mobile providers won't preserve text messages
KTF, Korea's second-largest mobile service provider, announced yesterday that starting next year, text messages generated by its customers will not be saved by the company, reports JoongAng Daily.
"In the past, saved text messages were provided to police or prosecutors as evidence when they had subpoenas for important civil or criminal cases. However, we decided that protecting customers' privacy should be addressed first, since it is a basic right ensured by the constitution," said Park Sang-ho, a KTF representative.
Others are following suit. LG Telecom currently saves short messages up to one week. But it said it will discontinue saving text messages beginning in early January. SK Telecom said it will stop saving text messages after the ongoing exam-scandal investigation is closed.
Meanwhile, the Grand National Party is pursuing a bill that would require mobile service providers to save all text-messaging traffic generated by its customers on the day the College Scholastic Ability Test is given." (cf Related articles on the cell phone cheat scam that rocked South Korea)
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