South Korea’s privacy watchdog said on July 23 that it fined TikTok 10.3 billion won, or about US$7 million, for unlawfully collecting and using user data for personalized ads.

The Personal Information Protection Commission said Singapore-based TikTok Pte. Ltd., which operates TikTok in South Korea, collected behavioral data from 9.45 million users through tools on third-party websites and apps.

The regulator said the company used the data for personalized ads without properly notifying users, in violation of the country’s personal information law.

In a separate case, the watchdog ordered corrective measures and fined two Apple subsidiaries a combined 252 million won (US$171,000) over personal information violations, including collecting Siri users’ voice recordings and text transcripts without consent.

The commission said Apple collected Siri users’ voice recordings and text transcripts without permission until August 2019.

It said Apple began asking for consent for voice recordings in October 2019, but still did not do so for transcripts.

🔗 Source: Yonhap

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