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| "Digital Prison," a website run by an anonymous operator, discloses photos and personal information of alleged sex offenders. / Screen capture from Digital Prison website |
By Lee Hyo-jin
Debate over "Digital Prison," a website which discloses the personal identities of alleged sex offenders, is heating up after a college student whose identity had been revealed recently was found dead.
His death provoked questions over the website's 'name-and-shame' system, such as whether it should be seen as vigilantism or as a 'kangaroo court' capable of victimizing people through false accusations.
The operator of the website uploaded personal information about a student at Korea University in July, based on allegations he committed an online sex crime. According to the post, he used a female student's photo to create pornographic images and distributed them online. Screen captures of Telegram messages and a voice recording of him admitting to the act were attached as evidence.
The identified student immediately denied the allegations through the university's community website. However, the operator refused to take down the post unless he provided counter-evidence.
The police soon launched an investigation, but the student was found dead last Saturday. He had reportedly been experiencing severe stress over the incident for weeks. The police will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the student's death but suspect he committed suicide, according to Suseo Police Station.
"Digital Prison" was launched by an anonymous operator in early July. The operator stated that they created the website out of frustration with the country's lenient punishments for sex criminals. It deals mainly with suspects of sex crimes, murders and child abuse. About 100 people are currently listed on the site.
The site was heavily criticized in early August for falsely accusing a man of a rape which took place in 2004 in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. The operator later deleted the post and issued an apology, but the man had already received hundreds of malicious comments and threats through social media.
Following several complaints, the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency has launched an investigation to track down the operator who could possibly face charges of cyber defamation. But the police are struggling as the website's encrypted server is based overseas.
However, experts believe that arresting the operator will not solve the problem, as similar websites may appear in the future. A fundamental solution would be to implement tougher punishment against sex offenders based on public sentiment.
"We shouldn't forget why 'Digital Prison' was created in the first place. Distrust of the country's judiciary system has led some people to set up their own," Seo Seung-hui, head of the Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Center (KCSVRC), told The Korea Times.
"If victims are guaranteed to see the strong punishment of sex offenders within legal boundaries, there will be no need for 'Digital Prison.'"
