본 연구는 정보 프라이버시와 관련된 기사를 분석하여 이에 대한 담론이 어떻게 형성되어 왔는지를 고찰했다. 특히 정보통신기술의 발전에 따라 그 중요성이 점차 강조되어온 정보 프라이버시 쟁점과 관련하여 공통된 주제들을 분석하고 핵심적인 논의 구조가 시기별로 어떠한 양태를 보이는지를 파악했다. 이를 위해 본 연구는 1990년부터 2021년까지 국내 일간지 및 경제지에서 보도된 8,865개의 뉴스 기사를 바탕으로 텍스트 마이닝 기법인 토픽 모델링과 언어네트워크 분석을 활용하여 주요 주제 및 그 구조를 탐색했다. 토픽 모델링 분석 결과, 국내 언론에서 제시하는 공통된 주제는 주로 개인정보 오ㆍ남용에 관한 논란이었으며, 개인정보 보호 및 활용의 균형점 또한 주요한 논쟁점으로 나타났다. 또한, 언어 네트워크 분석 결과에 따르면, 시기별 정보 프라이버시에 대한 보도는 개인정보 유출을 둘러싼 기술환경에서 출발하여 점차 그 영역이 확장되는 것으로 파악됐다. 본 연구는 정보 프라이버시에 대한 의제에는 어떠한 시각과 관념이 존재하는지를 규명하여, 향후 이와 관련한 사회적 논의를 위해 주목해야 할 주제 및 영역에 대한 시사점을 제공하고 있다.
The advancement of information and communication technology has paved a new avenue to improve the use of personal information. However, at the same time, the threats of personal information misuse have also increased. Recognizing the gravity of privacy threats that have become more salient with the development of digital technologies, this study aims to examine how the discourse on information privacy has been formed by analyzing online news articles. More specifically, this study identified common themes relevant to information privacy and analyzed the semantic structure of discussion by time period. Based on 8,865 news articles published in major news sources from 1990 to 2021, the topic modeling and the semantic network analysis were used. The results of the topic modeling analysis showed that the major themes covered by the press include the problems associated with the misuse of personal information and the trade-off between privacy and utility. Specifically, Topic 1 (The collection of personal information) explicitly indicated that information privacy concerns stem from the data collection process itself. The topic words ‘illegality’ and ‘collection’ were grouped together with various tech firms, including Google, Kakao, and Facebook, to form a common theme. In addition, Topic 1 (The collection of personal information) and Topic 6 (personal data vulnerability in the Internet space) commonly pointed out that personal data can be easily ‘exposed’ in the digital environment. Topic 4 (Protection and utilization of personal data) reflected the importance of the trade-off between privacy and utility in data exchanges, also highlighting the need to address the customer data vulnerability. In particular, the keywords of ‘utilization’, ‘consent’, ‘security’, and ‘human rights’ were grouped together, confirming that information privacy is recognized as an individual right to be private. Topic 5 (The leakage of sensitive data) indicated that financial data pertaining to real-world risks is notified as critical personal data in the prevailing social discourse. The findings of the semantic network analysis indicated that the media coverage of the topics initially reflects the technological environment surrounding information leakage, gradually expanding its area of focus. It was found that the discourse on information privacy by periods initially focused on the issues of personal information abuse, expanding the realm of discussion on emerging challenges in the digital era. For example, in the 1990s, the discourse primarily focused on the misuse of personal information in the computer network, but it gradually expanded to areas such as e-commerce, IT companies, and SNS. It is noteworthy that the main agenda derived from news big data has sketched the broad contours of the debate on privacy intrusiveness. This study provides several important implications by guiding the discourse on information privacy shared by society. This work is of great significance in that it deals with both the core values and the changing landscape of conflict regarding information privacy challenges. In addition, the results show that, following the observation that companies are primarily responsible for privacy protection, they should prioritize the implementation of the user-centric privacy framework and further seek legitimacy of the use of personal data. By conducting the topic modeling and the semantic network analysis, this research provides a significant step towards understanding the novel privacy issues that merit further investigation.