Latest news with #ChoiMin-hee
The Star
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Meta faces backlash in South Korea over mysterious account bans
SEOUL: A growing number of South Korean users are demanding answers from Meta after their Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended without clear reason. Some were even flagged for violating policies related to sexual exploitation of minors, allegations users say are not only false but deeply damaging to their personal reputations. Meta Korea has acknowledged a technical error, but frustration continues to grow. Accounts remain locked, and users say there is no direct way to appeal or receive help. 'I never uploaded anything illegal,' said one user during a recent closed-door session with lawmakers. 'But now people around me are suspicious. It's humiliating.' In response, Representative Choi Min-hee, head of the South Korean National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee organised a private meeting last week with affected users, legal experts and regulators. 'We need real solutions, not vague apologies,' she said, urging Meta to take responsibility and act swiftly. Heo Ouk, Meta Korea's director of public policy who attended the meeting, apologised for the 'frustration' and pledged to 'escalate the cases to headquarters for urgent review'. The session included testimony from users whose accounts were banned after seemingly routine activity. A college student had their account suspended after uploading an illustration for a class project. Another user, who runs a wildlife-themed page, said they were banned without explanation. One user reactivated their account after a study break, only to be locked out immediately. Attorney Kim Si-eun, representing several of the victims, said Meta must comply with South Korea's Telecommunications Business Act, which requires companies to prove that any service suspension is justified. 'If they can't show cause, they must restore the accounts immediately,' she said. She also called on Meta to speed up the launch of its promised South Korea-based customer service centre, which is currently scheduled for February 2026. Shin Seung-han, director of market surveillance at the Korea Communications Commission, confirmed that the agency has submitted a formal request to Meta for written clarification. He warned that if Meta is found to have violated the law, 'we will take legal measures under existing regulations'. Choi emphasised that the situation reflects a broader problem. 'There's no local customer support. Users are left in the dark,' she said. She plans to compile user testimonies and follow up with another meeting once Meta responds. - The Korea Herald/ANN
Straits Times
13-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Meta faces backlash in South Korea over mysterious account bans
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SEOUL - A growing number of South Korean users are demanding answers from Meta after their Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended without clear reason. Some were even flagged for violating policies related to sexual exploitation of minors, allegations users say are not only false but deeply damaging to their personal reputations. Meta Korea has acknowledged a technical error, but frustration continues to grow. Accounts remain locked, and users say there's no direct way to appeal or receive help. 'I never uploaded anything illegal,' said one user during a recent closed-door session with lawmakers. 'But now people around me are suspicious. It's humiliating.' In response, Representative Choi Min-hee, head of the South Korean National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee organised a private meeting last week with affected users, legal experts, and regulators. 'We need real solutions, not vague apologies,' she said, urging Meta to take responsibility and act swiftly. Mr Heo Ouk, Meta Korea's director of public policy who attended the meeting, apologised for the 'frustration' and pledged to 'escalate the cases to headquarters for urgent review'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Government looking at enhancing laws around vaping to tackle issue of drug-laced vapes in Singapore Singapore Why the vape scourge in Singapore concerns everyone Singapore I lost my daughter to Kpod addiction: Father of 19-year-old shares heartbreak and lessons Singapore Organised crime groups pushing drug-laced vapes in Asia including Singapore: UN Singapore From Normal stream to Parliament: 3 Singapore politicians share their journeys Business 29 Jollibean workers get help from MOM, other agencies, over unpaid salaries Asia Why China's high-end hotels are setting up food stalls outside their doors Singapore Geothermal energy present in S'pore, but greater study on costs, stability needed, say experts The session included testimony from users whose accounts were banned after seemingly routine activity. A college student had their account suspended after uploading an illustration for a class project. Another user, who runs a wildlife-themed page, said they were banned without explanation. One user reactivated their account after a study break, only to be locked out immediately. Attorney Kim Si-eun, representing several of the victims, said Meta must comply with South Korea's Telecommunications Business Act, which requires companies to prove that any service suspension is justified. 'If they can't show cause,' she said, 'they must restore the accounts immediately.' She also called on Meta to speed up the launch of its promised South Korea-based customer service center, which is currently scheduled for February 2026. Mr Shin Seung-han, director of market surveillance at the Korea Communications Commission, confirmed that the agency has submitted a formal request to Meta for written clarification. He warned that if Meta is found to have violated the law, 'we will take legal measures under existing regulations'. Ms Choi emphasised that the situation reflects a broader problem. 'There's no local customer support. Users are left in the dark,' she said. She plans to compile user testimonies and follow up with another meeting once Meta responds. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Korea Herald
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Meta faces backlash in South Korea over mysterious account bans
A growing number of South Korean users are demanding answers from Meta after their Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended without clear reason. Some were even flagged for violating policies related to sexual exploitation of minors, allegations users say are not only false but deeply damaging to their personal reputations. Meta Korea has acknowledged a technical error, but frustration continues to grow. Accounts remain locked, and users say there's no direct way to appeal or receive help. 'I never uploaded anything illegal,' said one user during a recent closed-door session with lawmakers. 'But now people around me are suspicious. It's humiliating.' In response, Rep. Choi Min-hee, head of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee organized a private meeting last week with affected users, legal experts, and regulators. 'We need real solutions, not vague apologies,' Choi said, urging Meta to take responsibility and act swiftly. Heo Ouk, Meta Korea's director of public policy who attended the meeting, apologized for the 'frustration' and pledged to 'escalate the cases to headquarters for urgent review.' The session included testimony from users whose accounts were banned after seemingly routine activity. A college student had their account suspended after uploading an illustration for a class project. Another user, who runs a wildlife-themed page, said they were banned without explanation. One user reactivated their account after a study break, only to be locked out immediately. Attorney Kim Si-eun, representing several of the victims, said Meta must comply with South Korea's Telecommunications Business Act, which requires companies to prove that any service suspension is justified. 'If they can't show cause,' she said, 'they must restore the accounts immediately.' She also called on Meta to speed up the launch of its promised South Korea-based customer service center, which is currently scheduled for February 2026. Shin Seung-han, director of market surveillance at the Korea Communications Commission, confirmed that the agency has submitted a formal request to Meta for written clarification. He warned that if Meta is found to have violated the law, 'we will take legal measures under existing regulations.' Rep. Choi emphasized that the situation reflects a broader problem. 'There's no local customer support. Users are left in the dark,' she said. She plans to compile user testimonies and follow up with another meeting once Meta responds.
Korea Herald
07-07-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Flexible work hour system, AI industry support
The Korea Herald republishes a weekly legislative report by local law firm DR & AJU LLC to provide the latest information on bills approved, proposed, pending and set to be promulgated. — Ed. Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Labor Standards Act Proposed by Rep. Kim So-hee (People Power Party) ● The bill would extend the maximum application period for flexible and selective work-hour systems to one year. It would also allow the labor and management to choose the unit period for calculating extended work hours from weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual options. Proposed Bill: Special Act for the Promotion of the Artificial Intelligence Industry and Advancement to Global Leadership Proposed by Rep. Choi Min-hee (Democratic Party of Korea) ● This bill seeks to establish a comprehensive support system for the artificial intelligence industry to advance the country's position as a global leader in the field. In particular, it proposes that the government designate and support AI mega clusters, implement policies to foster and attract a competent workforce, designate AI data center special zones and build necessary infrastructure. Pending Bill: Partial Amendment to the Commercial Act Proposed by Rep. Lee Jung-mun (Democratic Party of Korea) ● This bill would expand the scope of directors' duty of loyalty to include not only the company but also its shareholders and would limit the voting rights of the largest shareholder to 3 percent when appointing audit committee members. Competent Authority: Ministry of the Interior and Safety ● Effective Tuesday, the amended law now requires large credit cooperatives to appoint a full-time auditor and undergo external audits each fiscal year to strengthen their management and oversight. ● The draft amendment would significantly expand the scope of the data portability right, which had previously been limited to specific sectors such as health care and telecommunications. For queries about the bills, contact cr@ sj_lee@
Malaysiakini
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Meta must resolve indiscriminate account banning
ADUN SPEAKS | On June 20, I became a victim of the 'Meta Ban Wave'. Around 5pm, I was logged out of Facebook, my account suspended for 'not following their Community Standards'. To appeal, I had to verify my facial identity, submit a photo of a valid ID, and wait for the outcome. As my Facebook was linked to my Instagram account, it was also suspended. If I didn't appeal within 180 days, it would be permanently disabled. No human support was available. As an elected representative, 95 percent of my Facebook usage is spent on my page to communicate with constituents on policy and community matters, and five percent on my private profile. I only have one Instagram profile, which is 90 percent work, 10 percent personal. I contacted Communications Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching, who alerted Meta Singapore of my case and the possibility of Malaysian users being affected. Come June 24 morning, my accounts returned! Sadly, at 2pm, an email stated that both accounts had been suspended again. I did the appeal (again) and waited. On June 26, I received an email requesting proof of my ID. My accounts were restored, but I'm mildly anxious that it might happen again. Meta's silence, media's sparse coverage If you've never heard of the Meta Ban Wave, it's because mainstream media have been woefully silent. However, Meta and Instagram's posts on X are flooded with comments pleading for help, or in the very least, for them to acknowledge the problem. TikTok and subreddits like r/FacebookDisabledMe and r/InstagramDisabledHelp detail horror stories stretching back to 2024; r/MetaLawsuits has been gathering users, mostly in the US, to file a class action suit. Some examples of media coverage include: On June 6, Korea Times highlighted the Ban Wave and accounts suspended on allegations of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). On June 10, Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Min-hee's X post said Meta Korea was conducting a global crackdown on child and youth pornography, and accounts that were indiscriminately blocked were being restored sequentially. Meta Korea has not issued any statement. On June 16, TechCrunch became one of the first major portals to cover the scale of the issue and the possibility that AI may be to blame. A petition, 'Meta Wrongfully Disabling Accounts with No Human Customer Support', created on May 23, has now garnered 25,786 signatures. On June 25, when Facebook Groups were hit, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed Meta was aware and working to fix things. On June 26, BBC reported that 'Meta admits wrongly suspending Facebook Groups but denies wider problem'. Neither article addressed any form of resolution for individual accounts. The cost of unfair suspension - just leave Meta? The Ban Wave isn't simply a case of switching platforms or renouncing social media. Business owners and content creators spend time and money building portfolios, running ads, and cultivating followings. Public figures (like me) and government agencies are duty-bound to provide consistent and timely communication. Members of Facebook Groups for peer support, such as bereaved parents or cancer survivors, may experience mental health risks from being cut off from online support networks. People lose access to treasured photos and chats, sometimes with deceased loved ones. Worse, those slapped with CSE and CSAM allegations face legal and reputational risk. Some were minors or sexual abuse victims themselves. The Ban Wave has also spawned dubious business practices. Some users started paying for Meta Verified in hopes of accessing human support. They received generic responses, which were ultimately unhelpful in retrieving their accounts. On X, bots promote hackers who claim they can help but are more likely to be scammers preying on users' frustration. Meta's AI spend vs service Considering their AI ambitions, Meta must step up its service, especially if AI is harming users. Meta claims to use a 'combination of technology and people' to enforce policies, but the Ban Wave feels as though the tech has gone wrong, and the people are nowhere to be found. With a hefty US$65 billion earmarked for AI infrastructure and talent, Meta's mega moves include plans to hire Daniel Gross, CEO of US$32 billion AI startup Safe Superintelligence. OpenAI employees reportedly have been offered signing bonuses as high as US$100 million plus large annual compensation packages. In June, Meta paid US$14.3 billion for a 49 percent stake in Scale AI, which curates and annotates data for training large-scale AI models. Recent reports by Inc., Business Insider, and TechRepublic, however, hint at security issues at Scale. As an affected user and policymaker, I urge Meta to: Improve and continuously audit its AI system: Meta must investigate the cause of the Ban Wave and improve their content moderation protocol. Was it a failure of contextual analysis? Why target well-moderated Groups and unproblematic profiles, while porn, scam, and hate content remain up and running? Make the suspension and appeals process transparent: Users must receive evidence of supposed violations. If users don't know what Community Standards they supposedly breached, they risk being banned again on new accounts. Add critically needed human support: As a company posting US$2.32 billion in revenue and US$6.43 earnings per share for Q1 2025, Meta has an obligation to provide human moderators with localised/regional expertise to handle appeals. While the first layer of flagging and suspension (notifying, providing evidence, and collecting the necessary info for appeals) can be handled by AI, human support helps address nuances in individual cases. Individual accounts must receive the same level of care as large Facebook Groups, public figures, or influencers. Improve Help Centre functions: Meta and Instagram Help Centre advice can be an anxiety-inducing loop. During my first suspension, I decided to download my Instagram data. I received an email with the download link, which led me to the Instagram login page. After logging in, the same suspension notice screen appeared; there was no download option. Great. Meta may be too big to fail; the bleeding of users abandoning Meta after unfair suspensions is perhaps too small to dent their bottom line. However, with Meta having asked users to trust them with our memories, creativity, and livelihoods, I believe it is only fair to call upon the company to treat users with fairness and respect, and commit clearly to resolving the banning of innocent accounts immediately. LIM YI WEI is the Kampung Tunku state assemblyperson. The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
