Ⅰ. Guaranteeing the Fundamental Human Freedoms: 3. Privacy and the Right to Self-Determination of Personal Information The relevant laws identify the communications confirmation data and the communications data separately and differentiates the procedure for provision because the level of protection depends on the scope and nature of the information being provided. Meaning, the communications data is a simple personal information at the start of an investigation to determine suspects or whether to proceed with the investigation, and the need for quick access of the information is more important, and thus requires simplified procedures. However, the ‘communications data’ can also include important personal data, and the need to improve the current system of providing the communications data under the [Telecommunications Business Act] is being raised.51) This is in consideration of the changing social environment, such as the development of the technology to a process large quantity of information, including BigData, and the vitalization of the combination/analysis of diverse data and creating new value by both the public and private sectors, etc. The communications data are meta data, which are ‘data within data’ or ‘data explaining the properties of data.’52) Meta data may have been simply a personal information of a specific person in the past, but with the development of the technology to process large quantities of data, such as BigData and the changing environment where both the public and private sectors combine and analysis diverse data and creating new values thereof, the communications data has become the data that can determine and analyze the social relationships, activities and communications secrets of a data subject. 51) The Korean Legal News, “Controversy over the CIO’s Dragnet-type Communications Inquiry ... Surge of Criticism from the Legal Community” Dec. 29, 2021. 52) Information Communications Dictionary (Refer to item ‘Meta Data’) 59