South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) hit Google and Meta with fines totaling KRW 100 billion for violating privacy laws. This is the largest fine in the country to date and also the first to be imposed on the collection and use of behavioral information for personalized advertising.
Google is taking the biggest hit, KRW 69.2 billion (about $ 50 million), while Meta has been fined KRW 30.8 billion (about $ 22 million). The two companies were accused of failing to acquire legitimate consent before collecting user information via third-party websites and apps.
PIPC found that Google has not adequately informed users that it will collect and use behavioral data. He was also reprimanded for setting the default choice to “agree” while hiding the other options behind a “More Options” button. This is in contrast to what European users see, comparison below (note: both screens are in Korean).
Korean users (left) need to take additional steps to customize their consent for European users (right)
In May Meta began asking Korean users to accept its updated privacy policy by August 8, otherwise they would lose access to their Facebook and Instagram accounts by August 9. This push was one of the things that prompted the PIPC to take a closer look at Meta’s operations.
A screenshot of Meta’s problematic privacy policy update screen
In addition to the fines, Google and Meta have been ordered to rework their consent dialogs to comply with Korean privacy laws.
“While we respect the PIPC decision, we are confident to work with our customers in a legally compliant way that meets the processes required by local regulations. Therefore, we disagree with the commission’s decision and will be open to all options, including requesting a ruling from the court, ”a spokesperson for Meta told TechCrunch.
“We disagree with the results of the PIPC and will review the entire written decision once it is shared with us. We have always demonstrated our commitment to making continuous updates that provide users with control and transparency, while providing the most useful products possible. We remain committed to engaging with the PIPC to protect the privacy of South Korean users, ”a Google spokesperson told Reuters.
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