Platform Industry to Expand Search & Recommendation Channels, Enhancing Transparency

Ministry of Science and ICT and Industry to Broaden Disclosure Scope After Reviewing Self-Regulatory Principles

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 24th that major domestic and international platforms have agreed to expand the channels through which information on search and recommendations for content and products is provided, and to improve user accessibility and understanding through more detailed explanations.

The Ministry of Science and ICT held a subcommittee meeting of the 'Platform Private Self-Regulatory Organization,' comprising major domestic and international platform operators, to discuss self-regulatory measures for enhancing the transparency of search and recommendation services.

The meeting to enhance the transparency of search and recommendation services, spearheaded by the Data & AI subcommittee, included participants such as Naver, Kakao, Danggeun Market, Noluniverse, Woowa Brothers, Coupang, Google, Meta, the Online Shopping Association, the Korea Startup Forum, the Korea Internet Corporations Association, and the Consumers Federation of Korea.

As part of their self-regulatory measures, they had previously established self-regulatory principles that include disclosing the main variables constituting search and exposure order determination and recommendation criteria, along with explanations thereof, and obligating platforms to respond diligently to user requests for explanations.

Following a review of the implementation status, participating companies are disclosing the exposure criteria for search and recommendation services and explanations through channels such as customer service centers, pop-ups, and notice boards, and are providing separate notifications for personalized exposure or recommendations.

In the future, platforms will expand the channels through which search and recommendation information is provided and will disclose information, including links to search and recommendation service exposure criteria and their explanations, via the Korea Internet Corporations Association website (https://www.kinternet.org/). Yonhap News

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