Seoul YMCA urges regulator to probe KakaoTalk's ad targeting practices

The Seoul YMCA submitted a formal grievance to South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission, charging Kakao's Brand Message advertising platform with illegal use of personal data. According to the group, Kakao now pairs phone numbers supplied by advertisers with its own user database, allowing businesses to push ads to users who have not subscribed to their channels. The complaint further states that Kakao collects and distributes metrics such as message views and clicks without user permission, and that the service lacks a universal opt-out mechanism.

Data from the National Assembly's ICT committee shows spam reports related to Brand Message have exceeded 132,000, a 2.5-fold increase in the first seven months of the year. While 22 advertisers have been fined for unauthorized KakaoTalk ads, the group says Kakao itself has escaped liability despite profiting from the service. The YMCA calls for a thorough investigation and possible suspension of Brand Message if violations are confirmed.