This situation is an important part of the global conversation about keeping people’s information private and how technology companies need to act ethically when handling user data. It emphasizes the need for clear and honest agreements about sharing data.
Meta Platforms Ireland, previously Facebook, tried to challenge a fine imposed by South Korea’s data protection watchdog for sharing users’ personal information without permission but lost the legal battle.
The fine was a substantial amount of 7.8 billion USD
In November 2020, a commission called the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) fined Meta (formerly known as Facebook) around $5.78 million. This fine came after an investigation found that the personal information of over 3.3 million South Korean Facebook users (out of 18 million) had been shared with other companies without these users knowing about it. This sharing happened between May 2012 and June 2018.
Meta didn’t agree with this fine, so they made a complaint. They said that the users had given their permission for their data to be shared, and Meta hadn’t pushed them into doing it.
The court said that Meta didn’t do a good job of letting its users know about the legal notices related to this issue.
On Thursday(26 October), the Seoul Administrative Court decided against Meta. The court said that Meta didn’t do a good job of telling its users about the legal notices, and the company unfairly benefited from this situation.
The investigation also found that when a user logged into another service through Facebook, personal information about that user’s Facebook friends was shared with other companies. This information included things like the users’ education, family, and marital status.
The watchdog, which is the group that looks into these things, also said that Meta didn’t cooperate properly with the investigation. They handed over data and documents late and gave false information.
Meta now has to follow what the court has decided.
This decision sets an important example for how South Korea handles data privacy. It shows that getting permission and handling people’s personal information responsibly is crucial. It also shows that companies can get in trouble if they don’t meet these standards and share data without users knowing.
Now, Meta has to follow what the court said and might need to change how it shares data in South Korea and in other places to avoid more legal problems in the future.
Also Read:- Google Brain Co-Founders: Big Tech Downplaying AI Risks
Data Privacy Challenges
This situation is part of a bigger worldwide talk about keeping people’s data private and how tech companies should take care of it. It shows that there should be clear and open agreements about sharing data and that it’s really important to get a user’s permission, especially when sharing their data with other companies.
Ways to protect against data leaks and worries about people’s privacy.
With all the news about data breaches and privacy worries, this decision reminds us that government organizations play a big part in making sure companies follow the rules to protect people’s data. Companies need to do things in advance to keep user data safe and follow privacy laws. If they don’t, they could get into legal trouble and lose the trust of the public.