According to foreign reports, Nexon Korea has been fined a hefty amount of over 6 million USD for illegally sharing the details of 1.8 million Nexon users with 3rd parties. Another fine of 120,000 USD was also slapped on the Korean online gaming giant for this unauthorized act. According to Nexon Korea, the charge was already confirmed back in 2010, but the final amount to penalize was delayed till recently.
This fine amount has got nothing to do with the recent hacking case (link), where the details of MapleStory players were obtained. The court has yet to confirm Nexon as guilty thus far, but it seems unlikely the company will avoid another hefty penalty payment.
After continued hacking cases, the Korean government has also declared it will be illegal for game companies to obtain gamers’ Social Security Number (KSSN) as part of the signup process starting from 18th August 2012. Other methods are to be used, including mobile identification.
Current personal information of users, such as KSSN, is to be wiped by 17th August 2014 as part of the new law. As a gesture of goodwill, the government is giving companies an extended period of 6 month (till February 2013) to implement the new systems.
A new law will also come into effect next month, making “companies” which earn revenue through selling game gold and items illegal. The exact details are still unknown, but the action of “trading more than 10 times in a period of 6 months, including earning over 12 million KRW” is the new guideline for authorities to take action on. More info here (link).
Many more new law changes regarding online gaming in Korea will be announced soon, and they will no doubt leave companies sweating and gamers happy with the stern improvements on security and fair gaming.
