Seoul: The privacy watchdog said Thursday it has recommended the country's five major mobile applications, including popular messaging service KakaoTalk, to improve measures in handling user information. The Personal Information Protection Commission also made the recommendation to online portal Naver, e-commerce giant Coupang, delivery service Baedal Minjok, and used goods marketplace Karrot, after conducting an inspection on the popular "super apps."
According to Yonhap News Agency, super apps, which refer to applications that offer multiple services within a single app, such as shopping, delivery, and payments, have recently faced scrutiny over their management of user information as they link various service providers. The watchdog said it did not find any legal violations from the latest inspection but recommended the apps to strengthen their management of transfer and linking points of user information.
It also stated that company officials in charge of user information protection should take part in decisions related to external transfers of personal data. This recommendation emphasizes the importance of safeguarding user data as these apps continue to expand their range of services and increasingly handle sensitive information.