PR97725

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

NAVER Z, an affiliate of NAVER Corp. (KRX:035420), announced today that the

company joined the Tech Coalition to prioritize the safety of children and

teenagers in ZEPETO, Asia's largest metaverse platform. Tech Coalition is an

alliance of global technology companies that are working to protect children

from sexual exploitation and abuse on the internet and across digital

platforms, and over 20 global IT companies including Google, Amazon, Microsoft,

and Meta joined forces.

As a member of the Tech Coalition, NAVER Z joins 24 companies that are working

to develop new technologies, fund new research, increase reporting, and

collectively take action to not only prevent and detect online child sexual

exploitation and abuse, but also use these resources to ensure that they can

feel safer, empowered, and more informed.

For young users of ZEPETO, the NAVER Z updated the Community Guidelines, which

highlight that minor safety violations are reviewed with the highest priority

and severity, and published Guardian's Guide to equip parents, guardians, and

caretakers with informative resources to help keep young users safe. NAVER Z's

global Trust and Safety team is also working around the clock to develop tools

and resources that prevent, detect, and remove accounts that engage in child

sexual exploitation and abuse.

In addition to partnerships with Tech Coalition, NAVER Z is cooperating with

leading global online safety experts and organizations, including

ConnectSafely, Trust and Safety Professional Association, and BBB National

Programs.

NAVER Z is committed to promoting the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online

Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse– a high-level framework developed by the

Five Country Ministerial (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK and US) in

consultation with leading experts intended to drive collective action to

prevent these harms against children.

"We're thrilled to join the Tech Coalition and our peers working to combat

child sexual exploitation and abuse online through collaboration," says Jay

Lee, Chief Executive Officer of NAVER Z USA. "ZEPETO is a platform that

empowers users to connect and create without the boundaries of the physical

world. Our key responsibility is ensuring ZEPETO is a safe place where our

community, especially our younger users, can play and create without fear of

harm. As a member of the Coalition, we will contribute to the industry-wide

initiatives to develop technology, policy, research, and tools to keep children

safe online."

About NAVER Z

NAVER Z launched the metaverse platform ZEPETO in August 2018, attracting users

in more than 200 countries around the world. Creators and builders utilize

ZEPETO Studio to connect with 340 million users globally, growing by 40% y-o-y.

More than 95% of the users are millennials and Gen Z from outside of Korea,

showing the virtual platform's promise for future growth. ZEPETO is

collaborating with fashion and beauty companies, including BVLGARI, Ralph

Lauren, Gucci and Nike, global entertainment agencies and pop stars, such as

TinyTAN, Selena Gomez, BLACKPINK and NMIXX as well as companies, such as

Starbucks, Samsung, and Hyundai Motor Company. Launched in 2020, ZEPETO Studio

allows ZEPETO users to monetize their creations. More than 175 million items

have been sold, building a new creator economy.

About the Tech Coalition

The Tech Coalition facilitates the global tech industry's fight against the

online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Founded in 2006, the

Coalition is an alliance of technology companies of varying sizes and sectors

that work together to drive critical advances in technology and adoption of

best practices for keeping children safe online. The Coalition convenes and

aligns the global tech industry, pooling their knowledge and expertise, to help

all the members better prevent, detect, report, and remove online child sexual

abuse content. The coalition represents a powerful core of expertise that is

moving the tech industry towards a digital world where children are free to

play, learn, and explore without fear of harm.

source:Naver Corporation