Unlawful Data Collection: South Korea Fines Meta 21.62 billion Won

South Korea has fined Facebook owner Meta Platforms 21.62 billion won ($15.67 million) for unlawfully collecting sensitive user data and sharing it with advertisers.

The Personal Information Protection Commission reported on Tuesday that Meta had gathered information from around 980,000 South Korean Facebook users on matters such as religion, political views, and sexuality, without seeking user consent. About 4,000 advertisers reportedly utilised this information.

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The commission stated, “Meta analysed user behaviour data, such as pages liked and ads clicked on Facebook, to create and manage advertising themes linked to sensitive information.”

Users were categorised by criteria including North Korean defector status, religious affiliation, and sexual orientation, among other traits.

Additionally, Meta had allegedly refused user requests to access their personal data and failed to prevent data leaks affecting around 10 South Korean users. A Meta Korea representative declined to comment on the findings.