South Korea fines Google, Meta over accusations of privacy law violations

South Korea levied fines on Alphabet’s Google and Meta Platforms over accusations of privacy law violations, the country’s Personal Information Protection Commission said on Wednesday.

The commission fined Google 69.2 billion ($49.8 million) and Meta 30.8 billion ($22 million). it said in a statement.

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 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.