North Korea collected personal information from people who connected to last month’s virtually hosted National Exhibition of IT Successes, Daily NK has learned.
A source in North Korea told Daily NK on Tuesday that state institutions and groups participated in the National Exhibition of IT Successes with the password they use to connect to the state intranet network, but individuals had to enter information such as their name and place of residence.
Many virtually conducted online expos try to attract as many people as they can, so they rarely ask for personal information, except for special instances such as expos with admission fees.
However, North Korea appears to have collected personal information to learn the identity of the expo’s visitors.
The source said that “all [users of] digital devices that can access North Korea’s domestic intranet signal could participate.”
Basically, this means that practically anyone with a device could have taken part in the online expo.
The KCNA reported on Oct. 4 that the National Exhibition of IT Successes would be hosted as a virtual exhibition on North Korea’s wired and mobile networks, and that people could participate wherever and whenever they liked using a computer or mobile phone.
North Korea conducted the 2021 expo as a virtual event, too.
The source said that because signal quality drops as more and more devices connect, the expo hosts considered ways to allow government agencies, groups and individuals to smoothly connect with the event.
This suggests the authorities were aware that people might have trouble connecting to the online expo given North Korea’s miserable data communications environment, and took measures accordingly.
With average wireless internet speeds of about 1.0Mbps, North Korea has a 3G-level mobile environment. Though the country’s wired internet is believed to be a bit faster, the difference between it and the wireless network is reportedly miniscule.
Given the nature of North Korean society, only a limited number of people would have even been able to take part in an online expo. That the authorities nevertheless worried about slow internet speeds suggests that North Korea’s data communications environment remains less than ideal.
North Korea is working to convey the country’s IT technology and its efforts to promote said technology to more people through the expo. Paradoxically, however, the country’s IT environment cannot support these efforts.
Nevertheless, the expo reportedly witnessed the launch of several technology products that may have a positive impact on people’s lives.
The source said the expo introduced a product that uses big data technology to visualize all the material in the Grand People’s Study House, as well as to view related materials.
He said the product drew attention as it could save significant time in gathering materials.
However, the source said most ordinary North Koreans suffering from economic troubles had no interest in the IT-related expo.
“People don’t understand expos like this, and even if they did, many now have little interest in national matters not directly connected to their own livelihoods,” he said.
“People say that technology is something for technicians to develop, while we need to devote ourselves to making a living,” the source added.
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