South Korea Fines TikTok $7 Million for Data Privacy Violations

South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has fined TikTok 10.3 billion won, equivalent to about $7 million, for breaching personal data protection regulations. The popular social media platform is accused of collecting and utilizing user behavior data for personalized advertising without providing sufficient notice to its users.

The PIPC stated that TikTok Pte. Ltd., the Singapore-based operator, gathered behavioral data from 9.45 million users through tracking tools embedded in third-party websites and applications. "The company used this data for personalized advertising without adequately notifying users, thus violating South Korea's personal information protection laws," a regulator was quoted as saying by Tech in Asia on July 23, 2026.

In addition to the fine, the regulator has instructed TikTok to implement corrective measures to ensure its processing of user personal data complies with applicable laws. In a separate case, the PIPC also imposed a combined fine of 252 million won (approximately $171,000) on two Apple subsidiaries for similar personal information protection violations. The commission alleged that Apple collected Siri user voice recordings and text transcripts without consent until August 2019, only beginning to seek consent for voice recordings in October of that year, but still not for text transcript collection.

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The company used this data for personalized advertising without adequately notifying users, thus violating South Korea's personal information protection laws.