2025 Digital Risk Report

The Keyword Dominating Digital Risk in 2025: “Deletion.”

For individuals and brands alike, digital risk management has become an unavoidable part of reputation strategy.
Every month, thousands of takedown requests are filed worldwide — but which platforms generate the most?

AboutUs analyzed more than 20,000 global deletion cases across web communities, social media, and hosting networks.
Here’s what the data revealed.

1️⃣ Naver — Still #1 in Domestic Deletions

Over 68% of total deletion requests in South Korea originated from Naver.
Community posts, blog articles, and comments remain the most common sources.

While YouTube and Instagram are catching up in volume, Naver still dominates in search-indexed defamation and keyword-based exposure — particularly within blogs and café networks.

2️⃣ Instagram — Rise of Image-Based Risk

The biggest growth category in 2024–2025: visual defamation and impersonation cases on Instagram.

Leaked private photos, brand impersonation, and misleading reels increased by 41% YoY.
The viral nature of short-form visual content makes reputational recovery more difficult than textual deletions.

Risk Factor: Image virality outpaces traditional moderation.
Instagram now ranks #2 in overall deletion volume.

3️⃣ TikTok & X (Twitter) — Short, Fast, and Highly Volatile

TikTok and X recorded the highest repost velocity among all platforms.
In some cases, reuploads occurred within 4–6 hours of deletion.

The rapid-sharing ecosystem makes takedown enforcement extremely complex,
with most successful removals achieved only through multi-platform DMCA chains and simultaneous reporting.

DMCA-based filings accounted for 70%+ of successful cases on TikTok and X.

4️⃣ YouTube — From Manual Filing to Automated Reporting

YouTube continues to refine its copyright & defamation detection AI,
but the 2025 shift is clear: from reactive reporting to automated API-based filing.

Content creators and agencies now use dedicated tools like Cloudflare or internal ORM pipelines
to synchronize multiple deletion requests — drastically cutting processing time and human intervention.

2025 marks the first year automated reporting outpaced manual takedowns on YouTube.

5️⃣ Key Takeaway — Deletion Is No Longer the End

Digital risk is no longer about reaction; it’s about continuous control.
Data-driven ORM (Online Reputation Management) is now a full-cycle system — detect, delete, monitor, restore.

Brands that rely solely on deletion find themselves caught in repetition.
The future of digital reputation lies in sustained visibility and proactive protection.

📊 Summary Table

🧠 Conclusion

“Deletion is no longer the goal — it’s the beginning of restoration.”

AboutUs defines the future of digital risk management not by how fast we delete,
but by how completely we restore digital trust.

2025 will belong to the brands that treat reputation not as a crisis response — but as a living, evolving ecosystem.