South Korea Fines Google, Meta Billions of Won For Privacy Violations (reuters.com) 19
South Korea levied tens of millions of dollars in fines on Alphabet's Google and Meta Platforms for privacy law violations, authorities said on Wednesday. From a report: In a statement, the Personal Information Protection Commission said it fined Google 69.2 billion won ($50 million) and Meta 30.8 billion won ($22 million). The privacy panel said the firms did not clearly inform service users and obtain their prior consent when collecting and analysing behavioural information to infer their interests or use them for customised advertisements. "We disagree with the PIPC's findings, and will be reviewing the full written decision once it's shared with us," a Google spokesperson said. "We've always demonstrated our commitment to making ongoing updates that give users control and transparency, while providing the most helpful products possible. We remain committed to engaging with the PIPC to protect the privacy of South Korean users."
Billions of Won(tons) (Score:1)
Re:Billions of Won(tons) (Score:4, Funny)
Well, at least they have won.
*Bah-dum-dah*
Thank you! I'll be here all week!
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Thank goodness the week is halfway over.
LOL (Score:2)
Time to shake out the couch (Score:2)
I see the EU, Korea and other regions doing this (Score:4, Interesting)
I think it should become clear to Google, Meta, et al that the mass collection of data and the monopolization of platforms isn't sustainable for them. The fines will keep getting bigger and then they'll scramble to make changes. Enough, just change the business model.
Fundamental human rights mandate privacy, a right not to be tracked. Advertise to me? sure but do it in a way that isn't targeted and leaves me open to third parties to leverage the data to build models of my behavior. Shit! I still get ads from Amazon for kids' software I bought 20 years ago. "Because you bought this..."
Enough already! Keep my recent orders for a limited time to allow reordering or let me choose what I want to save! Better yet let me flush my history so you don't keep trying to sell me that special cream I needed for my boil.
Re: I see the EU, Korea and other regions doing th (Score:2)
I really don't understand why anyone would want random, totally irrelevant ads for shit they would never buy, rather than ads targeted to their particular interests.
If I am going to be marketed to, I'd much rather not get ads for tampons, condoms and Android products.
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> I really don't understand why anyone would want random, totally irrelevant ads for shit they would never buy
I hate ads with a passion but to play devil's advocate: Sometimes you buy gifts for people. Unexpected ads are a way to prompt thinking about a different kind of gift.
But yeah, I'm in the same camp as you -- I never, ever, want to see a fucking ad for tampons, etc.
I wish the visual vomit of ads were 100% banned from society but I guess people don't respect their time, mind, or themselves if they
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Re: I see the EU, Korea and other regions doing t (Score:2)
Not really. I don't buy much. What I do buy is mostly shit I already wanted, planned or needed to buy for one reason or another.
My buys for anything significant are typically well-researched buys. Sometimes I defer buying for years.
Advertising gets very little response from me because I treat it like the "news"...virtually always full of shit and safely ignored.
Re: I see the EU, Korea and other regions doing th (Score:2)
Being fined fractions of cents of what they make for violating privacy isn't just sustainable, it's part of their business model.
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"Because you bought this..." Go back through your order history and mark those items you don't want to show up again with "This was a gift" and Amazon will stop recommending related items across their entire platform.
I know what their lawyers are doing. (Score:3)
$50M fine in South Korea... $4.1B in the EU.
Good luck getting paid. (Score:2)
They lost, which means they haven't won.