New Delhi: In a significant blow to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has imposed a hefty fine of approximately $15.67 million. The regulatory body found that Meta had been collecting and sharing sensitive user data without explicit consent.
The PIPC’s investigation, which spanned four years, revealed that Meta had gathered personal information from nearly a million South Korean Facebook users. This data included details about their religious beliefs, political leanings, and sexual orientation. The collected information was then shared with thousands of advertisers to enable highly targeted advertising campaigns.
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The PIPC stated that Meta had analyzed user behavior data, such as liked pages and clicked advertisements, to create and manage advertising themes closely related to sensitive personal information. This practice raised serious concerns about data privacy and user consent.
In response to the fine, a Meta Korea official indicated that the company would review the decision carefully but refrained from making further comments. This development underscores the growing global scrutiny of tech giants and their data practices. As data privacy regulations tighten worldwide, companies like Meta are facing increased pressure to ensure transparency and respect user privacy.
