A Legal Study on Social Safety Nets in the Digital Age

The digital revolution is bringing about rapid changes across society based on the development of information and communication technology (ICT), and this is demanding changes in the role and function of traditional social safety nets. The digital social safety net is a system that helps individuals and communities protect themselves from economic and social shocks, and aims to improve accessibility, increase efficiency, and strengthen inclusiveness of social services by utilizing digital technology. This paper analyzes the major legal tasks for establishing a digital social safety net, including personal information protection, resolving the digital divide, digital financial regulation, e-government operation, and reorganizing laws related to information and communication. Personal information protection is a key element for enhancing the reliability of the digital social safety net, and legal measures are required to minimize data security and privacy infringement risks. In addition, legal measures for expanding the Internet infrastructure and digital literacy education are important to resolve the digital divide. We explore the legal approaches of each country through Estonia's e-government and digital ID system, Finland's basic income experiment, and Korea's digital new deal and personal information protection cases, and examine the importance of international cooperation and legal harmonization through these cases. The cases of each country provide various implications for the legal implementation of the digital social safety net, and emphasize the need to establish international standards and a cooperative system for the development of a digital social safety net at a global level. The successful implementation of a digital social safety net is possible through the establishment of a legal and institutional foundation and continuous review and improvement. This will ensure that all citizens can enjoy the benefits of the digital age fairly and contribute to strengthening social inclusion and stability. Through these efforts, we can build an inclusive and sustainable society, which will be an essential direction for the development of a social safety net suitable for the digital age. Such development will play an important role in laying the foundation for the stability and prosperity of the future society.