The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) of South Korea fined Google and Meta a total of KRW 100 billion for violating privacy rules. This is the country's largest such sanction to date, as well as the first levied for the gathering and use of behavioural data for personalised advertising.
Google will be punished KRW 69.2 billion (about $50 million), while Meta will be fined KRW 30.8 billion (approximately $22 million). The two corporations were accused of failing to get genuine authorization before collecting user data via third-party websites and applications.
PIPC determined that Google failed to adequately tell consumers that it would collect and use behavioural data. It was also reprimanded for making "agree" the default option while obscuring the others. other options behind a “More options” button. This is in contrast to what European users are seeing, comparison below (note: both screens are in Korean).
Meta began telling Korean users in May to approve its amended privacy policy by August 8 or risk losing access to their Facebook and Instagram accounts on August 9. This push was one of the factors that prompted the PIPC to investigate Meta's functioning.
In addition to the fines, Google and Meta have been required to redesign their permission dialogues to comply with Korean privacy legislation.
"While we accept the PIPC's judgement, we are convinced that we are working with our clients in a legally permissible manner that complies with local legislation." As a result, we disagree with the commission's judgement and will consider all possibilities, including requesting a judicial judgement," a spokesperson said.Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch.
“We disagree with the PIPC’s findings, and will be reviewing the full written decision once it’s shared with us. We’ve always demonstrated our commitment to making ongoing updates that give users control and transparency, while providing the most helpful products possible. We remain committed to engaging with the PIPC to protect the privacy of South Korean users.” a Google spokesperson told Reuters.
