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South Korea fines Google, Meta 100 billion won in total for privacy violations

Privacy panel said that the firms did not clearly inform service users and obtain prior consent when collecting and analysing behavioural information

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South Korea levied millions of dollars in fines from Meta Platforms and Alphabet's Google owing to privacy law violations, authorities said on Wednesday, as Meta considers fighting the decision in court.

In a statement, the Personal Information Protection Commission said it had fined Google 69.2 billion won ($50 million) and Meta 30.8 billion won ($22 million) — a record total fine of 100 billion won.

Google did not have an immediate comment.

A Meta spokesperson said:

"While we respect the commission's decision, we are confident that we work with our clients in a legally compliant way that meets the processes required by local regulations. As such, we do not agree with the commission's decision, and will be open to all options including seeking a ruling from the court."

The privacy panel said that the firms did not clearly inform service users and obtain prior consent when collecting and analysing behavioural information to infer their interests, or use them for customised advertisements.

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