Google Korea to censor pornographic search results

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Google Korea plans to introduce an age-verification system to its search engine on September 1, by having users verify their age when searching for any of about 700 Korean words judged to be adult and supplied to the portal by the Korean government. The system will be combined with a localized version of the SafeSearch system that is already used on Google's main English-language search engine to ascertain the context of the search. Users will have to enter their name and national resident registration number, which will be checked against a database to verify the user (or at least the person whose data has been entered) is old enough.

Similar systems are in use by all of Korea's major Internet search portals. 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. It faces stiff competition in the Korean market from established local search engines including Naver, Empas, and Daum.

News source: InfoWorld

(2 replies) #1 Lovell on 17 May 2007 - 17:34

The title makes it seem as if their going Chinese on the internet rather than just blocking kids from being able to view porn

#1.1 Slimy on 17 May 2007 - 17:39

OMFG THE TITLE. Better?

#1.2 Shining Arcanine on 17 May 2007 - 20:37

Why would anyone want to block kids from viewing pornography? Goats do not use the internet.

(2 replies) #2 jwjw1 on 17 May 2007 - 18:35

by having users verify their age when searching for any of about 700 Korean words judged to be adult and supplied to the portal by the Korean government.

lol...oh yeah this will be effective....the good old 'honor system'...we know kids don't lie about their age..until they get raped or parents want to sue because their child was able to join 'my space'...even though their 12yrs old and verification says 14..but hey..its only a little 2 year lie.

though laws need to be tougher on those child molesters and pornographic sickos...the same toughness needs to be applied equally to parents and kids who seems to want to blame others for their irresponsibility.

#2.1 Notum on 17 May 2007 - 19:15

From what I gather, the Koreans will use a personal id number that is checked against a central database to verify the surfers age. I'm guessing this id number works pretty much as ours do here in Sweden. At birth (or upon becoming a citizen) every person is assigned a unique number that contains that persons gender, place and date of birth. In Sweden this number is used to keep track of mostly anything, from banking to social services even when renting videos and getting a drivers license. It's pretty handy in my opinion, and has been in use since 1947.

Wouldn't i be better to just tell the parents to keep better track of what their kids are up to online, instead of coming up with convoluted systems that are bound to fail or even worse, that risk infringing on peoples privacy? Laws should not be passed that take the responsibility of raising children away from the parents.

Last edited by Notum on 17 May 2007 - 19:22

#2.2 QuarterSwede on 17 May 2007 - 19:25

Quote - (Notum said @ #2.1)

Laws should not be passed that take the responsibility of raising children away from the parents.

I agree. Too bad a lot of parents these days are crappy.

#3 solardog on 17 May 2007 - 20:14

The Internet is really stiring things up now. As more and more humans go online around the world (which seems about the size of a pea now) its interesting to see how certain countries try to deal with it.

#4 EJocys on 18 May 2007 - 11:59

Pornography is no Evil. Without sex there would be no life on Earth. Pornography is just like theatre where people acting things they do and enjoy in real life. Seems like all you need to turn good voluntary act into evil is to add video camera. It's social bull****. Mostly religious zealots want to turn reproductive organs into some sinful things. Sex was more dangerous in middle ages due to non treatable diseases and sometimes it was threat to inheritance but we are living in modern world now. Also most of children have been "molested" with boobs every day till they were 6 month old. How evil is that?

It's better to educate children by teaching them to be responsible and not by putting blindfolds on them.

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