UPDATE - S.Korean top court orders Google to disclose list of personal information

CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, ADDS S.KOREA TOP COURT ORDER GOOGLE TO DISCLOSE LIST OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

By Anadolu Staff

ANKARA (AA) - South Korea's top court on Thursday ordered Google to disclose the list of personal information which the global tech giant shared with third parties including the US intelligence, local media said.

The Supreme Court ruling came in a case where four South Korean activists alleged Google passed on private information of its users to the US government intelligence program known as PRISM.

In 2014, the activists demanded that Google should disclose the handling of their information but the tech giant refused. Later, the Seoul High Court also sided with Google and ruled that the tech giant has the right to reject any demand that can be kept private in accordance with the relevant American laws, according to Yonhap News Agency.

However, the top court partially overturned the high court verdict and sent back the case to the Seoul High Court for retrial.

Google while reacting to the top court's verdict said user privacy protection is an important issue for the company.

"We plan to review the Supreme Court's decision carefully," Yonhap said citing Google Korea.

- Top court upholds $760M fine decision against US company

Also on Thursday, the South Korean top court upheld a ruling imposing a record over $760 million fine by the country’s antitrust regulator on US chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. for unfair business practices, local media reported.

In 2016, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) of South Korea imposed a 1 trillion won ($760.8 million) fine on the San Diego-based company and its two affiliates over breaching the country's competition law, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The company later moved the Seoul High Court against the FTC decision, however in 2019, the High Court in its verdict recognized the antitrust body's majority measures against the company and rejected the company’s request to reverse the FTC decision.

The court also recognized the US chipmaker's abuse of its dominant market power in forcing unfavorable business deals on mobile phone makers and unfairly restricting market competition, according to the agency report.

On Thursday, the country's Supreme Court also upheld the Seoul High Court’s verdict and paved way for the FTC to implement its decision.

The antitrust body welcomed the top court ruling and said the FTC will monitor the implementation of its decision in line with the court verdict.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid