Google, Meta face record fines in South Korea over privacy violations

Yang Cheongsam, an investigation and coordination bureau director-general of the Personal Information Protection Commission, speaks at the Government Complex in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept 14, 2022. South Korea’s privacy watchdog has fined Google and Meta a combined 100bil won for tracking consumers’ online behaviour without their consent and using their data for targeted advertisements. — AP

SEOUL: South Korea has fined Google and Meta more than US$71mil (RM321.38mil) collectively for gathering users’ personal information without consent for tailored ads, regulators said Wednesday, the country’s highest-ever data protection fines.

Investigations into the two US tech giants found they had been “collecting and analysing” data on their users, and monitoring their use of websites and applications, the Personal Information Protection Commission said.