Meta Platforms Fined $15.67 Million by South Korea for Unauthorized Data Collection, Sharing

Meta Platforms Fined $15.67 Million by South Korea for Unauthorized Data Collection, Sharing

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has been fined 21.62 billion won ($15.67 million) by South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission for allegedly collecting and sharing sensitive user data without proper consent.

This significant penalty follows an investigation revealing that Meta gathered extensive personal information, including religious beliefs, political opinions, and sexual orientation, from around 980,000 South Korean Facebook users.

The data collected without consent was reportedly used by approximately 4,000 advertisers, who targeted users more effectively based on these details. The commission’s findings show that Meta analyzed user behavior on Facebook, observing pages they liked and ads they clicked, to develop advertising profiles that included labels such as North Korean defector, member of a particular religious group, or individuals identifying as transgender or gay.

The commission also criticized Meta for refusing users’ requests to access their personal data and for a security lapse that led to a data breach affecting about 10 South Korean users. Meta Korea has declined to comment on the ruling.

This case highlights growing scrutiny of tech companies’ data privacy practices globally. In a separate incident, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) recently fined LinkedIn €310 million over violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The fine came after an investigation by the French Data Protection Authority, which revealed issues with LinkedIn’s use of user data for behavioral analysis and targeted advertising.

Elsewhere, in July, Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) jointly fined Meta $220 million. The penalty addressed alleged infringements, including unauthorized data transfers, discriminatory practices, and disregard for Nigerian data subjects’ rights.

These cases underscore a rising global emphasis on enforcing privacy regulations and safeguarding users’ rights in a digital landscape where data privacy remains paramount.