Digital RightsUsers' digital rights are Kakao's top priority.

Kakao’s Principles to Counter Online Hate Speech

Kakao dreams of creating a better world by connecting technology and people. Kakao strives to protect our users’ freedom of speech to ensure more unrestricted and diverse connections.

Protecting our users’ rights is another one of Kakao’s important responsibilities. Kakao is vigilant against speech that abuses the freedom of speech and threatens other people’s safety.
Kakao is devoted to stopping online hate speech. We would like to ask for your interest and participation, so that we can fully execute Kakao’s response plan to stop hate speech and create a safer digital environment for everyone.

  • Kakao objects to the discrimination, promotion of stereotypes, unilateral insults or ostracism of specific individuals due to their place of origin (country, region), race, appearance, disability, illness, socio-economic situation, status, religion, age, gender, sexual identity, sexual preference and other identity-related factors.
  • Kakao defines speech that attacks specific individuals or groups, based on the above discriminations, as hate speech. Hate speech not only threatens user’s emotional security, but also triggers social ostracism and physical violence. Hate speech not only restricts users’ freedom of speech, but impedes the confidence and health of our society. Kakao will resolutely respond to hate speech that violates human rights and dignity, and threatens the safety of other individuals.
  • Users must be cautious about speech that incites violence about a specific person or group, or violates human dignity, in public spaces within Kakao services. Users can still freely express opinions about their beliefs or public policies, as long as they don’t threaten the safety and dignity of others.
  • Kakao will continue to make advancements in our policies, technology, service planning and design to stop hate speech. We will also provide employee training and strengthen monitoring to stay vigilant about discrimination and hate speech from inside the company.

The above policies are limited to posts that are made public. Kakao’s utmost priority is to respect users’ privacy in personalized services, including private conversations in KakaoTalk, and Mail and Talk Drive, as well as private community posts.

Kakao strives to create an environment where all users can exercise their freedom of speech safely. We would like to ask for our users’ active participation in creating a digital space that is safe for everyone.