How Facebook Collected And Sold South Koreans’ Private Data

Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is in hot water again. South Korea’s privacy watchdog has fined the social media giant a staggering $15.67 million for secretly collecting and sharing sensitive personal information of users without their permission.

Here’s what happened: South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) launched an investigation into Meta. They discovered that Meta had gathered private details from about 980,000 South Korean Facebook users—information like religious beliefs, political views, and even sexual preferences—and shared it with around 4,000 advertisers.

How Did This Happen?

Meta didn’t just collect random data. They snooped through what users liked, the ads they clicked on, and the pages they followed. Using this information, Meta figured out who was interested in certain topics, like specific religions, LGBTQ+ issues, and even North Korean escapees. This was all done without asking for clear consent from...