Facebook fined in South Korea for limiting user access
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — South Korea’s telecoms regulator has fined Facebook for illegally limiting user access to its services from late 2016 to 2017.
The Korea Communications Commission said Wednesday that Facebook should pay 396 million won ($369,400) as a penalty for violating a law against hurting the interests of users. The regulator also recommended that the company change its terms of use stipulating it cannot guarantee the quality of its services.
The issue is unrelated to Facebook’s troubles over allegations that Trump-affiliated data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica stole data from 50 million Facebook users to influence U.S. elections. But the social media giant has faced other complaints in Asia over access and privacy.
The South Korean flap arose after Facebook rerouted some users’ access to its services to networks in Hong Kong or the United States, instead of using domestic networks, without notifying them, the regulator said. That slowed connections for some local Facebook users, and some complained they were unable to play videos on Facebook. The KCC said connections were as much as 4.5 times slower than before for some users during evening hours.