The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has put the brakes on global big tech companies' customized advertisements in violation of privacy laws. The commission slapped heavy fines and issued correction orders on Google and Meta Platforms for collecting personal information without users' consent and using it for commercial purposes. The penalties should serve as an occasion to root out the problematic practices of all internet companies here and abroad, not just of the two violators.
On Wednesday, the commission held a plenary meeting and imposed a 69.2-billion-won ($49.6 million) fine on Google and a 30.8-billion-won fine on Meta, the operator of Facebook. The regulator said the two companies have neither clearly informed nor received the prior consent of users when they collected or analyzed users' behavioral data to estimate their personal interests and use them to provide tailor-made advertisements. Unlike in Korea, the big tech firms reportedly sought users' consent “in five stages” in Europe, the commission said.
The latest move was the first sanction in Korea against the violation of privacy by online platforms to provide personalized advertisements. The combined fine of 100 billion won is also the largest in history, demonstrating the authorities' determination to eliminate the customary breach of personal information. Since the European Union enforced the Personal Information Protection Act in May 2018, there have been two similar cases: one in France in January 2019 and the other in Germany the following month.
This past July, Meta also came under fire in Korea by virtually forcing users' consent, saying they “could not use Facebook or Instagram without agreeing to the updated privacy policy.” Faced with vehement protests, the company eventually dropped its attempt. The commission should also investigate this case and take appropriate action. The data from people's behavior online enables service providers to grasp users' health, physical features, political views and other information.
This data is sensitive personal information that business operators cannot use arbitrarily just because they provide services for free. The online operators must accept the consequences of the commission's discipline seriously and take necessary measures immediately.