Criminal Complaint by Investigative Authorities Also Filed
Yoon Jong-in, Chairman of the Personal Information Protection Commission, is speaking while presiding over the 7th plenary meeting of the Personal Information Protection Commission held at the Government Seoul Office on the 25th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] On the 25th, the Personal Information Protection Commission held the 7th committee meeting and decided to impose a fine of 6.7 billion KRW on Facebook and to file a criminal complaint with investigative authorities. This action marks the first sanction since the launch of the Personal Information Protection Commission on August 5 and the first criminal complaint against an overseas business operator.
The Commission confirmed that Facebook provided personal information to other business operators without obtaining consent from the data subjects. When users logged into Facebook to use other business services, not only their own information but also the personal information of their Facebook friends was provided to other business operators without consent. It was confirmed that the 'Facebook friends' were unaware that their personal information had been provided.
According to the Commission's investigation, this violation continued for about six years from May 2012 to June 2018, and personal information of at least 3.3 million out of 18 million domestic Facebook users was provided. The personal information items provided to other business operators included education and career, place of origin, family and marital/relationship status, and interests.
The Commission also pointed out that Facebook obstructed the investigation by submitting false or incomplete data during the investigation process. Accordingly, the act of providing personal information to third parties without obtaining consent was deemed a serious violation, resulting in the imposition of fines and orders for corrective measures.
Facebook was also fined 66 million KRW for storing user passwords without encryption, failing to periodically notify users of their usage history, and submitting false data.
Yoon Jong-in, Chairman of the Personal Information Protection Commission, stated, "The basic direction of the Commission is to strictly enforce the law regardless of domestic or overseas distinctions," and added, "We will take strong measures to secure enforcement power against overseas business operators who commit illegal acts and do not sincerely cooperate with investigations, ensuring that the personal information of our citizens is safely protected."
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