`Emergency` Button of Mobile Phone for Automatic Notice of Location Information

When an emergency situation such as a car accident and fire occurs, the mobile phone subscriber presses the emergency button of the mobile phone and so a location of the subscriber is automatically informed to the emergency to the emergency institutions of 119 and 112. From next year, this automatic location system will be established.

The ministry of information and communications (MIC) announced on October 17, “we will legislate the law on the location information protection and use, prescribing the mount of GPS chip and expansion of location information service”. According to the legislation bill, the telecommunication companies can provide the subscriber`s location to the emergency institutions (119, 112) without agreement of the mobile phone subscribers.

To strengthen the base of the location information service, the mobile telecommunication companies and mobile telephone terminal manufacturers must put GPS Chip and emergency button to the mobile phone.

Seo Gwang-Hyun, assistant manager of telecommunication system, MIC explained the background of legislation, “The current law for protection of telecommunication security cannot provide the location information without consent of subscribers to the third party, and so the emergency institutions cannot use the location information.”

However, the legislation bill allows private companies such as the private security guard company using the location information. There will be a variety of service using the location information such as the car accident service and friend finding. However, some of experts said that it could invade a privacy of the mobile phone subscribers owing to increasing use of location information. Accordingly, there could be a criticism in a process of legislation. MIC said “We can protect an unfair use of information by restricting strictly the conditions and procedures which provides the location information to the third party.” MIC is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the legislation bill participated by civil organization, academic world and industrial circles in Seoul Press Center on October 28, and to introduce the bill in the National Assembly in the first half of next year.

Joong-Hyun Park sanjuck@donga.com