Google Korea to Restrict Internet Access
Search engine to introduce age-verification system
By: Jed Nottingham
Posted: 05/21/2007
SEOUL, Korea -
Google Korea plans to introduce an age-verification system
to its search engine, which will "restrict adult-themed
searches to those 19 years of age and older," the company
stated.
"Users will be asked to verify their age when searching for
any of about 700 words in Korean judged to be adult and
supplied to the portal by the Korean government," said Lois
Kim, a spokeswoman for the company in Seoul.
Users will have to enter their names and national resident
registration numbers, which will be checked against a
database to verify the user—or, at least, the person whose
data has been entered—is old enough. The system will be
combined with a localized version of the SafeSearch system,
which already has been used on Google's English-language
search engine.
Increasing demand of Internet access shows the technical
evolution in Korea. The rapidly growing broadband service in
Korea not only has brought the citizens close to all-new
innovations, but also produced numerous problems. Although
the free flow of contents is believed to be crucial, the
Korean government has taken some measures to deal with
Internet content that is illegal or is unsuitable for minors.
Google Korea has discussed regulating certain aspects of
online life by restricting access to some websites, such as
those related to North Korea.
Google is becoming more active in South Korea and recently
began hiring people to work at a new research and development
center planned for Seoul. The company plans to launch the
system in September. Similar systems are in use by all of
Korea's major Internet search portals.
