[Sportschosun, Reporter Park Araem] Big Hit Music has disclosed serious cases of privacy violations targeting CORTIS and reiterated its hard-line response.
On the 29th, Big Hit Music provided an update on its legal actions to protect artist rights through the fan community platform Weverse. It also expressed concern after revealing illegal acts committed by some fans during the group's recent schedule in Paris, France.
According to the agency, some fans were found to have secretly attached small GPS trackers to vehicles used by the artists during their stay in Paris. In addition, cases were uncovered in which they separately hired vehicles and drivers locally and persistently followed the artists, including their private schedules and personal travel routes.
Big Hit Music said it classified the acts as malicious and clearly illegal, and that it issued immediate warnings on site.
The agency also said it had identified other fan etiquette violations, including unauthorized entry into private spaces such as accommodation parking lots or loitering there, visiting locations for schedules that had not been officially disclosed, and taking close-up photos of the artists or following them continuously in airport lounges and on airplanes.
It added that some individuals who had already been restricted from fan events were also found wandering inside overseas hotels where the artists were staying or moving to seats near the artists on flights, and that staff intervened and issued warnings on the spot.
Big Hit Music also stressed that it would review all possible legal measures if anyone insults or assaults on-site security personnel, or spreads false information by distorting the agency's legitimate measures to protect the artists.
Big Hit Music said, "We place the safety and privacy of our artists as our top priority," adding, "We will continue to respond strictly under a zero-tolerance policy to privacy violations and fan etiquette breaches."
tokkig@sportschosun.com
▶ Full statement below
Hello.
This is Big Hit Music.
Based on real-time monitoring and your valuable reports, we are regularly filing criminal complaints. We would like to inform you of the main legal actions we are taking in this regard.
1. Filing complaints over malicious posts and acts that infringe on artist rights
We have identified posts and comments that infringe on the artists' rights across major online communities, portal sites, multiple social media accounts, and music streaming platforms. The complaints include posts and comments that disparage and insult the artists, spread clearly false information about the artists and their album and music performance results, and maliciously edit the artists' photos to violate their dignity and cause sexual humiliation.
Given that most of the members are minors, the illegality of malicious posts and distribution targeting the artists is even more serious. Accordingly, we are strongly emphasizing the gravity of the matter to investigative authorities and requesting a thorough investigation and strict punishment under a zero-tolerance policy, with no settlement or leniency.
In addition, for accounts that posted content infringing on the artists' rights in the CORTIS Weverse community, we sought Weverse's cooperation and imposed usage restrictions. We are also promptly reporting and requesting the removal of malicious posts found on various other sites, to the extent possible.
2. Investigation underway into accounts illegally distributing immigration and flight information
As announced in the previous notice, '[Notice] Guidance on Creating a Proper Concert Culture for CORTIS and Maintaining Order at the Airport,' we have been intensively collecting evidence on multiple heavy uploader accounts that illegally sell the artists' immigration and flight information on social media and online platforms. Following the filing of complaints in May, investigations are now underway.
Both the sale and purchase of the artists' immigration and flight information constitute illegal acts, including violations of the Personal Information Protection Act and the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. We will continue to cooperate actively with investigative authorities and monitor the situation to eradicate the illegal distribution of such information. We ask COER to refrain from buying or selling the artists' personal information, including flight details.
3. Strong response to privacy violations and fan etiquette breaches
We are also responding actively to acts that invade the artists' privacy and threaten their safety. Recently, we identified numerous cases of privacy violations and fan etiquette breaches, and took measures such as reporting them to the police, issuing verbal warnings, and deleting recorded footage.
● Unauthorized entry into or loitering around private spaces such as the artists' accommodation parking lots, causing the artists anxiety
● Approaching and attempting to strike up private conversations by participating as staff or related personnel at events where the artists appear
● Visiting the artists' private schedule locations that were not officially announced through notices or media, or continuously following the artists during their personal schedules
● Taking unauthorized close-up photos of the artists while they were sleeping or resting in airport lounges and on airplanes, or continuously following them
In particular, during the artists' recent Paris schedule, several fans attached small GPS trackers to the vehicle carrying the artists or used local vehicles and drivers to persistently follow their travel routes, including private and personal schedules. We identified and warned them for these malicious and illegal acts.
There have also been repeated violations by individuals who had already been restricted from fan events for breaking fan etiquette, such as wandering inside the local hotel where the artists were staying and waiting for them, or moving close to the artists' seats on the plane even though they were seated in different sections. We have taken steps to stop and warn those individuals.
If, during such enforcement actions, a person who violates fan etiquette insults or assaults on-site security or operations staff, or spreads false information by distorting the agency's legitimate measures to protect the artists, we will review all possible legal measures and respond actively.
We will always place the safety and privacy of the CORTIS members first, and we will continue to respond strictly to the fan etiquette violations described above. We ask for COER's cooperation in building a mature fan culture.
If you discover any act that infringes on CORTIS's rights, please report it through the HYBE Artist Rights Violation Report Website. When submitting a report, a full-screen capture of a PC screen or a PDF file that clearly shows the URL, poster name, post content, and posting date will greatly help the legal process.
Big Hit Music will do its utmost to protect the artists' rights so that the CORTIS members can safely and healthily carry out their upcoming tour and various activities.
Thank you.
