Naver combats manipulation of comments in their news articles

Naver has implemented measures to notify media outlets and allow them to change the comment sorting method when so-called “targeted commenting” (or manipulative commenting - a mass posting of comments to sway public opinion) is detected in its news service.

On April 28, Naver announced in a notice sent to its partner media outlets that “a new feature will be added to the Smart Content Studio on the 29th to alert media companies when there is a sudden surge in user reactions in the comments section.” This feature detects when a specific comment receives a sudden surge of likes or dislikes beyond a certain threshold and notifies users with a special message within 24 hours.

Media outlets will be granted the authority to change the comment sorting method for articles suspected of being marked by “targeted commenting.” Naver explained, “The list of detected articles can be checked in the newly revamped comment menu, and each media company can directly adjust the comment sorting if deemed necessary for a particular article.”

Naver is launching this feature in a beta version and plans to further refine the detection criteria and continuously expand the feature. Naver stated, “Articles where likes and dislikes concentrate heavily on specific comments will be detected according to certain standards, and when such activity is found, we will immediately notify the media outlet and take measures to inform users as well.”

Previously, on April 18, Choi Soo Yeon, CEO of Naver, appeared before the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee and said, “We are aware of the issue of targeted commenting and deeply regret not having taken technical measures in advance.” She added, “(Although the exact timing needs to be confirmed) around April 28, we plan to alert media companies to any abnormal activities and implement technical measures to immediately notify users.”

Lee Jung Kyu, head of Naver’s Service Operations Support Division, also stated during the National Assembly committee's inquiry, “When malicious comment traffic such as targeted commenting is detected, we are working to quickly improve the system so that media outlets can be informed and make decisions based on their operational policies.”

Recently, during the impeachment proceedings against former President Yoon Suk Yeol, incidents of targeted commenting on specific articles through platforms like YouTube sparked political controversy. Reflecting this situation, Naver is accelerating efforts to improve its news comment system to enhance fairness.