November 6, 2024 at 02:36AM
Meta has been fined $15.67 million by South Korea’s data privacy agency for illegally collecting sensitive data from about 980,000 Facebook users and sharing it with advertisers without consent. The watchdog cited failures in user consent and security measures, and will continue monitoring Meta’s compliance with regulations.
### Meeting Takeaways – Nov 06, 2024
**Topic:** Data Privacy / Tech Regulation
1. **Fine Imposed on Meta:**
– Meta has been fined 21.62 billion won (approximately $15.67 million) by South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) for illegal data practices.
2. **Nature of Violations:**
– Meta collected sensitive personal information from Facebook users, including political views, religious affiliations, and sexual orientation, without user consent.
– Approximately 980,000 users’ data was shared with around 4,000 advertisers.
3. **Data Collection Methods:**
– Users were categorized based on their online behavior (likes and ad interactions), leading to the compilation of sensitive categories (e.g., religion, sexual identity).
4. **Lack of User Consent:**
– The PIPC accused Meta of not obtaining proper consent before processing sensitive information, violating privacy regulations.
5. **Security Failures:**
– The agency also criticized Meta for inadequate safety measures concerning inactive accounts, allowing unauthorized password reset requests, which led to a data leak affecting 10 South Korean users.
6. **Ongoing Monitoring:**
– The PIPC will continue to oversee Meta’s compliance with its corrective orders and enforce privacy protections for domestic users.
7. **Response from Meta:**
– Meta has stated that it will “carefully review” the PIPC’s decision.
### Next Steps:
– Monitor Meta’s actions in response to the PIPC findings.
– Stay updated on further developments regarding data privacy regulations affecting tech companies.