South Korea has fined Meta over $15 million for illegally collecting sensitive user data from approximately 980,000 individuals without consent. The data, which included personal details about users' political opinions and sexual orientation, was shared with advertisers, violating national privacy laws.
South Korea has issued a fine of approximately $15.6 million (21.6 billion won) to Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for unlawfully collecting sensitive user data from nearly 1 million users in the country without obtaining proper consent. This decision was made by the Personal Information Protection Commission in Seoul, which determined that Meta had violated laws intended to safeguard user privacy, particularly concerning sensitive data such as political views, religious beliefs, and sexual orientation.
The investigation revealed that Meta had gathered this sensitive information from user profiles and subsequently shared it with around 4,000 advertisers, facilitating targeted ads on issues like transgender rights and sexual orientation. The commission stated that Meta used data analysis from user behavior, including liked pages and ad interactions, to create and implement these targeted advertisements.
In addition to the financial penalty, South Korean authorities have ordered Meta to establish legal grounds for handling sensitive data, implement appropriate safety protocols, and respond promptly to user inquiries about their personal information.
