Brave group Inc. (read: Brave Group), a VTuber business operator, which announced on June 25, 2024, that personal information had been leaked, has announced that it will, in principle, cover the costs of changing phone numbers and moving for VTuber audition applicants whose personal information was leaked.
Compensation Is on a Case-by-Case Basis
Brave groupRegarding compensation, the company stated, "We plan to, in principle, cover the following costs for phone number changes and moving that arose for everyone, within the scope deemed as unavoidable costs."
Individual cases are as follows:
Regarding phone number change procedures
We will bear the costs associated with changing your phone number.
(Translated from Japanese)
Regarding applicants who listed their full address
Although our group's audition application form only requests the prefecture of residence, we will respond as much as possible to those who listed their full address, including bearing the cost of moving, depending on the specific circumstances.
(Translated from Japanese)
Regarding responses to other individual cases
We will also sincerely address all other individual cases, one by one.
(Translated from Japanese)
Brave group
To summarize, Brave Group will bear the costs associated with making changes to the leaked personal information.
Since names and dates of birth cannot be changed, converting this into compensation costs is expected to be difficult. However, if there are already popular VTubers among the applicants, there is concern that this could affect their future activities. In such cases, the company is treating it as a "response to other individual cases," so those who are worried should contact the Brave Group general inquiry desk.
個人情報流出に関するお詫びと対応につきまして https://t.co/VIcirdYH86
— 株式会社Brave group (@bravegroup_vt) June 26, 2024
Is the Compensation for the Personal Information Leak Appropriate?
In recent years, incidents where confidential and personal information is leaked due to cyberattacks and ransomware are not uncommon.
Since the investigation is still ongoing, nothing certain can be said, but the company's posture of announcing that it will assume the costs the next day will likely have a positive effect.
If Brave Group has Personal Information Leak Insurance or Cyber Insurance, there is a possibility that these costs could be covered by the insurance.
Let's compare this with another company. For example, in the personal information leak incident at Willgate, Inc., announced in October 2012, approximately 11,493 registration records for their personal insurance guidance service Hoken Gate were leaked, not due to unauthorized access but entirely due to human error.
Incidentally, this incident occurred less than a year after the company acquired the Privacy Mark certification.
The leaked personal information included sensitive information such as "annual income, medical history and medication history, and spouse's name," but Willgate, Inc. issued a statement saying that compensation would not be provided unless a causal relationship was proven, even if damages occurred. Furthermore, there have been no reports of anyone receiving compensation from the company.
In June of the following year, they transferred Hoken Gate to IID Inc. (It is currently operated by Cecile Co., Ltd.).
The announcement was also made 20 days after the incident came to light, and after the announcement, there were many unsettling developments, such as employees deleting the word "Willgate" from their social media.
In comparison, Brave Group's response this time can be said to be quite sincere.
The fact that the CEO himself is posting on X (formerly Twitter) is also the exact opposite of Willgate's response.
改めてお詫びとご対応に関してリリースを出しました。
引き続き情報流出の原因など、慎重に調査を続けてまいります。⁰今後の調査の進捗につきまして、新たにお伝えすべき事実が判明次第、適宜情報開示を行います。 https://t.co/svJwhF8rX5— 野口 圭登@ Brave group CEO (@keito_noguchi) June 26, 2024
Handling the Leaked Information
Brave Group is also urging people to report information to the inquiry desk if they discover any unauthorized acquisition or dissemination of the leaked information, as obtaining it would be subject to unauthorized acquisition since it is not properly disclosed information.
Since some people may have obtained the personal information unintentionally, issuing this warning that it corresponds to unauthorized acquisition is expected to have some effect in preventing the further spread of the personal information.
漏洩した情報の取り扱いに関するお願いと注意喚起について https://t.co/3lwM6561xu
— 株式会社Brave group (@bravegroup_vt) June 26, 2024
