The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) of South Korea imposed a combined fine of 100 billion won (USD 71.9 million) on Google and Meta Platforms for gathering personal data without users’ consent.
According to PIPC, Google and Meta Platforms have been gathering the personal information of their users without their consent. These data are then used for personalized online advertising and other purposes.
The commission added that its probe confirmed that Google and Meta have neither clearly informed nor got prior consent from users when they collected or analyzed such data to estimate their personal interest and use that information to provide personalized advertisement.
As a result, the commission imposed a fine of 69.2 billion won for Google and 30.8 billion won for Meta Platforms.
The fines mark the highest amount ever imposed for alleged violations of the personal information protection law.
In a statement, Google expressed “deep regrets” shortly after the announcement by the PIPC, adding it will continue to talk with the commission for the protection of Korean users’ privacy.
On the other hand, a Meta official said the company cannot agree on the PIPC decision and will review all the possibilities, including a legal fight, adding the firm has complied with the
