South Korea fines Meta for illegal collection of user data

South Korea has fined Facebook-parent Meta more than $15 million for illegally collecting sensitive user information from nearly a million people without consent and sharing it with advertisers, the country's data watchdog said Tuesday.

The firm, which also owns Instagram, ran afoul of laws prohibiting the use of information on political opinions, religious beliefs and people's sex life unless the individual provides explicit consent, Seoul's Personal Information Protection Commission added.