To withdraw from Coupang Eats, do you need ‘content proof’?… “Personal information infringement can be reported”

☞Subscribe to the Hankyoreh newsletter H:730. Type ‘Hankyoreh h730’ in the search bar. Mr. Choi, a user of the delivery app Coupang Eats, had an absurd experience while trying to cancel his membership on the Coupang Eats app. He contacted the customer service center because there was no membership withdrawal menu, but was told that “there is no way to withdraw from Coupang Itz alone, so you have to withdraw from Coupang itself.” Mr. Choi expressed his anger, saying, “Even though Coupang, an e-commerce company, and Coupang Eats, a delivery app, are separate services, IDs, etc. are linked, so isn’t it a problem that even if I want to delete my personal information in Coupang Eats, I can’t?” He was able to withdraw from Coupang Eats within two weeks after sending a proof of contents to Coupang. There are growing criticisms that the delivery app Coupang Eats is violating consumers’ personal information sovereignty by linking membership registration and withdrawal with Coupang. Coupang Eats is a delivery app service operated by Coupang. If a person who has already signed up for Coupang wants to become a member of Coupang Eats, he or she only needs to agree to the terms and conditions without a separate registration process. If you do not have a Coupang ID, you cannot become a Coupang Eats member. The industry sees it as a strategy (‘lock-in strategy’) to tie down users by linking delivery app services and e-commerce IDs.

Coupang Eats Service Terms of Use. Article 6 states, “Members may cancel their services at any time, and the company will process this without delay.” Coupang Eats Capture

This policy gives rise to criticism that it infringes on the rights of users who wish to leave Coupang Eats alone. Coupang Eats user surnamed Lee said, “There is not even a menu to withdraw from the Coupang Eats app. “If you want to withdraw, you are told to contact customer service, but when you call, they only tell you to withdraw from Coupang or delete the app.” For other delivery apps such as Baedal Minjok or Yogiyo, you can unsubscribe right from within the app. Article 6 of the Coupang Eats Terms of Use (for customers) states that ‘members may terminate the service use agreement at any time by notifying the company of their intention to terminate’ and ‘unless there are special circumstances, a member’s request for termination will be processed immediately.’ It’s done. There is a large gap between the terms and conditions and reality.

There is no withdrawal menu in the Coupang Eats app. If you want to cancel your subscription, you are encouraged to contact customer service, but the service center tells you to “delete the app or withdraw from Coupang itself.” Coupang Eats Capture

The controversy over Coupang Eats’ withdrawal has continued for quite some time. Citizens’ Association for Consumer Sovereignty, which has been raising this issue since last year, told the Hankyoreh, “The Personal Information Protection Act stipulates that when a personal information processor receives a request for deletion from the information subject, he or she must notify the result of the deletion without delay,” and “Coupang Eats.” “We need to abolish the ID linking system and provide an environment where users can freely withdraw,” he said. The Personal Information Protection Committee also considers Coupang’s policy to be a “reportable personal information infringement matter.” An official from the Personal Information Protection Commission said, “Withdrawing from the service is a request to stop processing the information I provided, and if this is not possible, it constitutes an infringement of personal information.” He added, “There are cases of policies similar to those of Coupang and Coupang Eats in the name of integrated authentication. Quite a lot. “If withdrawal is not possible, you can report a personal information infringement to the Personal Information Protection Committee,” he explained. Coupang Eats said, “Unlike other delivery apps where you sign up as a member for the delivery service, the Coupang Eats service is one of the various services provided to members who sign up for Coupang. “Customers can choose whether to use the service or not,” he said. Reporter Yoo Seon-hee duck@hani.co.kr, Reporter Lim Ji-seon sun21@hani.co.kr