A lawsuit filed by Google and Meta against the Personal Information Protection Commission seeking to cancel a corrective order and a penalty surcharge of approximately 100 billion won has been dismissed.
The Personal Information Protection Commission noted on the 23rd that the Seoul Administrative Court accepted its claims and dismissed the requests from Google and Meta.
Previously, the Personal Information Protection Commission investigated the practices related to personal data processing for targeted advertising by the two corporations since 2021. In September 2022, it confirmed that they had collected and utilized online activity records without user consent, and imposed a penalty surcharge of 69.2 billion won on Google and 30.8 billion won on Meta along with a corrective order.
In response, Google and Meta claimed they had obtained user consent and filed an administrative lawsuit. However, the Personal Information Protection Commission pointed out that the two corporations tracked and collected website visit records and app usage information from service subscribers for targeted advertising, emphasizing to the court that this is an issue requiring user consent.
Kim Hae-sook, chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, said, "This ruling is an important case that strengthens the protection of the public's right to self-determination regarding personal data," adding, "We will further enhance our role as a guardian for personal data protection in the AI data society."
The Ministry of Justice stated, "This is a monumental case where both ministries worked together to protect the rights of the public against multinational corporations," and added, "We will continue to do our best to protect the public and national interest in international litigation and beyond."