07:51 AM EST, 11/05/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Meta Platforms ( META ) has been ordered to pay 21.62 billion Korean won ($15.7 million) in fines by South Korea's privacy watchdog for collecting sensitive user data and handing it to advertisers, news outlets reported Tuesday.

Meta's Facebook gleaned data on religion, sexuality, and politics from 980,000 South Korean users, which was used by 4,000 advertisers without authorization, the media sources cited Personal Information Protection Commission's statement.

Data shared included statuses like North Korean defectors, or self identification.

Meta did not immediately reply to MT Newswires' request for comment.

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