A debate has flared over the value of personal information. Netizens have been swapping conflicting opinions about compensation from SK Telecom for people whose personal information was leaked on the Internet.

On Sept. 18, the private information of 2,500 people was made public on Tossi, SK Telecom's mobile phone and Internet blogging website. Tossi's administration page, which should have been locked, was accidentally left open for several hours. The mistake allowed the private information of bloggers, including their names, mobile phone numbers and blog addresses, to be accessed. SK Telecom admitted its mistake and sent gift certificates worth W70,000 (US$1=W916) to each of the victims, for a total of W175 million.

The reaction from netizens was mixed. Some wrote in message boards that they felt insulted by the compensation, which was delivered by mail without an apology, while others said they were happy with the company's prompt compensation.

There is not enough data yet to judge whether W70,000 is appropriate compensation for the leakage of private information. In recent cases, compensation has ranged from several thousands to hundreds of thousands of won.

A prime case was Kookmin Bank's leakage of customer information including names, resident registration numbers and email addresses. A court ruled the bank had to pay W100,000 in compensation to each victim. "Compensation for private information leakage is similar to compensation for mental suffering, not for visible damage, so the range varies," said Kim Yeon-ho, an attorney.

One thing is clear: businesses should be careful in how they handle personal information. Recently consumers have been joining forces to hold leakers accountable. SK Telecom's compensation became an issue by victims who campaigned about it on the web. "Many civil organizations are preparing projects to protect consumers' rights," said Jeon Eung-hui of the Green Consumers Network said.

(englishnews@chosun.com )