On Monday, officials reported that Meta Platforms Ireland Inc. lost its legal challenge against the South Korean data protection agency’s penalty for providing users’ personal information to other parties without consent.
Last November, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) imposed a fine of 7.8 billion won (US$5.78 million) on Meta, formerly known as Facebook Inc., after discovering that at least 3.3 million out of 18 million Facebook users in South Korea had their info shared with operators other than Facebook without their knowledge from May 2012 to June 2018.
Meta argued that the data sharing was done with the users’ agreement and that it had not forced them to do so. However, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled against Meta on Thursday, claiming that the users were unaware of relevant legal notices and that the company had taken advantage of the practice.
The PIPC’s investigation revealed that when someone uses another operator’s service through Facebook login, the personal information of their Facebook friends is provided to other operators without their knowledge. This includes details about their academic background, family, and marriage status.
The watchdog also said that Meta had not cooperated with the probe, submitting data late and providing false documents.
This image, provided by Yonhap News TV, shows the logo of Facebook. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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