Meta Fined 365.2 Billion KRW in Ireland for Data Breach Affecting 500 Million Users

"Negligence in Personal Data Protection"
4th Penalty in 2 Years from DPC

Meta (formerly Facebook) was fined $275 million (approximately 365.2 billion KRW) by Irish authorities for violating privacy regulations.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] Meta (formerly Facebook) has been fined $275 million (approximately 365.2 billion KRW) by Irish authorities for violating privacy regulations.

On the 28th (local time), the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) imposed a $275 million fine on Meta for failing to prevent hackers from stealing personal information of about 530 million Facebook users, reported CNN. The DPC explained that Meta violated European privacy regulations by not taking measures to protect user data.

Between May 2018 and September 2019, hackers unlawfully collected users' personal information by searching for friends using phone numbers on Facebook Messenger and other platforms. The information was found on websites used by the hackers and included personal data such as names, Facebook IDs, and phone numbers of people from about 100 nationalities.

Meta stated on the day, "We are carefully reviewing the DPC's decision" and added, "We have changed our systems, including removing the feature that automatically extracts data using phone numbers."

Over the past two years, Meta has been fined four times by the DPC for the same reason. The fines ranged from a minimum of 17 million euros to a maximum of 405 million euros.