CJ ENM has filed for a patent on a global voting system, marking the first in K-pop auditions.

According to CJ ENM, they intend to enhance the credibility of the voting system by solving problems such as traffic control and various abusive behaviors through the development of their own system. The global voting system patent filed by CJ ENM focuses on: ▲efficiently controlling large-scale traffic, ▲effectively preventing abusive behaviors during the voting process, and ▲strengthening the voting data integrity process.

The voting service was first applied in Mnet's 'Boys Planet,' which premiered on February 4th, making it the first K-pop audition program based on viewer voting.

Firstly, the system was designed to significantly reduce the possibility of server downtime by utilizing a robust design capable of handling strong, momentary traffic. K-pop audition programs typically experience massive traffic spikes, reaching millions per second during voting periods. The patent improves system design by distributing the workload across multiple servers, optimizing the queue service for voting systems, and meticulously calculating various data and design resources within the service to ensure the system can handle explosive traffic.

To combat abusive behavior exploiting technical vulnerabilities, digital fingerprinting technology is used. This technology detects and blocks additional voting activities that circumvent voting policies, repeatedly blocking new technical intrusions and strengthening its own defenses. Moreover, various algorithms are technologically deployed to prevent mechanical intrusions in advance.

In addition, no internal personnel, including technical staff, have access to the voting service data. A third-party organization verifies and releases the final data in the voting data integrity process. In the case of Mnet's 'Boys Planet,' voting data is verified by external expert organization Samil PwC to prevent vote manipulation by the production team.

CJ ENM stated, "Considering the influence of K-pop audition programs spreading globally, we expect this patent to be applied to various programs with global voting after Mnet's 'Boys Planet'."

CJ ENM, previously criticized and mistrusted by viewers due to the voting manipulation controversy in the Mnet 'Produce' series, is now drawing attention with the filing of this global voting system patent. It remains to be seen whether the company can renew its tarnished image.