South Korea has imposed a hefty fine of 21.62 billion won (approximately $15.67 million) on Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, following a ruling by the country’s data protection agency. The Personal Information Protection Commission found that Meta illegally collected sensitive user data from around 980,000 South Korean Facebook users without obtaining their consent.
The data in question included users’ religious beliefs, political opinions, and sexual orientation, which Meta then utilized to target approximately 4,000 advertisers. This misuse of personal information raised significant concerns about user privacy and consent.
The agency revealed that Meta analyzed user behavior data—such as pages liked and advertisements clicked—to create targeted advertising themes based on sensitive information. For instance, users were categorized as North Korean defectors, adherents of specific religions, or identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
In addition to the unauthorized data collection, the agency noted that Meta had failed to honor user requests for access to their personal data and inadequately protected information from data breaches, resulting in leaks affecting around 10 South Korean users. A Meta Korea representative declined to provide further comments on the case.