Synopsis
On March 13, South Korea's top court upheld a fine of 6.7 billion won against Meta for sharing user data without consent. The ruling reinforces the authority of the Personal Information Protection Commission in protecting user privacy.Key Takeaways
- South Korean Supreme Court rejects Meta's appeal.
- Fine amounts to 6.7 billion won ($4.6 million).
- PIPC found Meta shared data of 3.3 million users.
- Data sharing was conducted without user consent.
- Meta plans to challenge the ruling further.
Seoul, March 13 (NationPress) The highest court in South Korea has dismissed an appeal from the social media behemoth Meta regarding a fine of 6.7 billion won (approximately $4.6 million) levied by the country's data protection authority for sharing user data without obtaining their consent, according to judicial sources.
In November 2020, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) imposed the fine after an investigation revealed that at least 3.3 million South Korean users' personal details were shared with third parties without their knowledge between May 2012 and June 2018, as reported by the Yonhap news agency.
Meta contested the fine in March 2021, asserting that the data sharing occurred with users' consent and that it had not coerced them into agreeing.
However, the Supreme Court upheld the legality of the PIPC's actions, affirming earlier court decisions made in October 2023 and September of the previous year, according to the sources.
Following the ruling, the PIPC announced it would resume implementing corrective actions that had been on hold due to the ongoing litigation.
Previously, in 2022, Meta Platforms Ireland faced a legal setback when it challenged the South Korean data protection authority's ruling that mandated a fine for disclosing users' personal information to external entities without consent.
Meta subsequently lodged a complaint against the decision, reiterating that the information sharing was conducted with users' approval and that it did not pressure them into consent.
The PIPC's investigation indicated that the personal information of users' Facebook friends was shared with other operators without their consent when users accessed third-party services using Facebook login.
This compromised data included sensitive details such as academic background and family and marital status.
Moreover, the watchdog noted that Meta had been uncooperative during the investigation, submitting data late and providing misleading documents.
