Seoul: South Korea's privacy watchdog announced Thursday that it has fined TikTok 10.3 billion won (US$7 million) for unlawfully collecting and using users' behavioral data from third-party services to personalize advertisements. The Personal Information Protection Commission levied the fine on Singapore-based TikTok Pte. Ltd., which operates the social media giant's services in South Korea, for violating the personal information law.

According to Yonhap News Agency, TikTok collected behavioral data from 9.45 million users in South Korea through tools distributed to third-party websites and applications, using this data for personalized advertisements without properly notifying users of such actions. The commission's decision highlights the ongoing global scrutiny over how social media platforms handle user data, particularly in terms of transparency and consent.

In a separate but related issue, the watchdog ordered corrective measures against two Apple Inc. subsidiaries and fined them a combined 252 million won for personal information violations. These violations included collecting voice recordings and transcripts of users of the company's Siri voice assistant without consent. The commission noted that Apple collected voice recordings of Siri users and text transcripts of those recordings without permission until August 2019. Although the company began asking for consent for voice recordings in October 2019, it did not extend this requirement to transcripts, according to the watchdog's findings.