The psychology of wanting to know more the more it is forbidden: Cases illustrating the 'Streisand Effect'

There is a phenomenon where public interest surges precisely when one tries to hide or prohibit something. In a video from the tvN variety program 'Free 19,' various cases penetrating this human psychology were introduced.

The Mystery of Pine Gap, Australia's Secret Base that Defied Government Orders

The video covered the story of 'Pine Gap,' a secret military base located in the desert region south of Alice Springs, Australia. Established as a radar station in 1966, it is currently jointly operated by the US CIA, the NSA, and Australian intelligence agencies. Officially, it is a military base that monitors the implementation of weapons control and disarmament agreements for the security of the United States and Australia.

Pine Gap has been shrouded in mystery for over 50 years, leading to many rumors. According to the video, civilian access, as well as photography and overflights, are strictly prohibited here, and people attempting to take photos are even arrested on the spot. In particular, it was mentioned that in 1997, the Australian government ordered the Australian Department of Defence to disclose Pine Gap, but the Australian Department of Defence refused that order. Additionally, an incident where an unidentified flying object was captured in Earth atmosphere footage taken by NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery in 1991 also became controversial. NASA explained it as 'ice crystals in space,' but physicist Jack Kasher claimed it was a 'plasma shell' and that its launch site was Pine Gap.

Greece's Total Game Ban and the Background of the Exit of Korean Games from India

As an example of attempting to block a specific target at the source and causing social conflict, Greece's 'Law 3037' appeared. In 2002, the Greek government implemented a law to eradicate illegal gambling for the purpose of rooting out illegal gambling, which prohibited games using all electronic devices such as PCs, mobile phones, video games, and console games. It was so powerful that violating the law could result in up to 12 years in prison and massive fines, but this drew worldwide backlash. Ultimately, as the EU filed a lawsuit against the Greek government at the Court of Justice of the European Union, this law was invalidated after two years.

As another case related to game regulation, the exit of the Korean game 'PUBG' from India was mentioned. The Indian government decided on the ban citing social problems caused by game addiction, but security issues were also intertwined behind the scenes. The mobile version of PUBG, released in 2018, was jointly developed by Korean and Chinese companies, and in countries other than Korea and Japan, Chinese companies handled the distribution. Accordingly, the Indian government judged the game to be a Chinese-made app and pushed through the ban. Despite such regulations, users continued their popularity by sharing bypass download methods.

Interest that Grows the More You Try to Hide It, the Origin of the 'Streisand Effect'

The video concludes by explaining the 'Streisand Effect.' This refers to a phenomenon where the more one tries to hide information, the more it attracts public attention and causes the information to spread more widely. This term originated from the case of the American singer and actress Barbra Streisand.

In 2003, photographer Kenneth Adelman, with the support of the California government, conducted a coastal recording project and released about 12,000 photos on a website. Among these was a photo that included Barbra Streisand's mansion, and she filed a lawsuit for damages along with a request to delete the photo, claiming it was an invasion of privacy. According to the video, the number of downloads for the photo in question before the lawsuit was only 6 times, but as the fact of the lawsuit became known, it resulted in public attention being concentrated.