S. Korea fines Google and Meta for violating privacy law

South Korean regulators are fining Google and the parent company of Facebook for violating local privacy laws.
The tech giants are blamed for collecting private data for use in personalized ad without user permission.
Shin Ha-young has the details.

South Korea has taken strong action against two tech giants, Google and the parent company of Facebook, Meta.
The Personal Information Protection Commission, or PIPC, said Wednesday that it's fined Google around 50 million U.S. dollars and Meta 22 million for violating local privacy laws.

"It has been confirmed that Google and Meta have been violating the law by collecting and analyzing users' personal information for personalized online advertisements without their consent or clearly informing them."

Google has been collecting personal data through its default settings for users to give consent for at least six years since 2016.
In case of Meta, it has not informed or obtained permission from users for the last four years.
As a result, over 82 percent of Google users and over 98 percent of Meta users in South Korea have been unknowingly allowing the platforms to collect their information.
At 100 billion Korean won or around 72 million dollars in total, the penalties are the biggest the regulator has ever issued for privacy violations.
The PIPC also ordered the tech giants to clearly inform users when their information is being collected and used... and to obtain their consent in a way that enables them to exercise their right to privacy.
Responding to the fine, Google said it will further discuss user privacy in South Korea with the commission.
On the other hand, Meta said it disagrees with the decision and is open to all options, including taking the issue to court.
Shin Ha-young, Arirang News.