"Give Personal Information to Watch"…Chanel Korea Fined

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Luxury brand Chanel was fined for violating the Personal Information Protection Act after requesting personal information such as name, date of birth, and contact details even from customers who simply visited the store.

On the 22nd, the Personal Information Protection Commission held its 19th plenary session and decided to impose a fine of 3.6 million KRW on Chanel Korea for violating personal information protection regulations.

The Commission confirmed that Chanel Korea mandatorily collected personal information including date of birth and residential area (country) from all waiting customers, including purchasers wishing to enter the store and their companions, and denied store entry if such information was not provided.

This was judged to be a violation of the Personal Information Protection Act, as it involved mandatory collection of personal information beyond the necessary scope for purposes such as managing waiting customers, and refusal to provide services to waiting customers who did not consent to the collection.

Previously, a Chanel store in a department store in Seoul caused controversy by requiring personal information such as the name, contact number, and date of birth of not only the purchaser but also their companions when issuing waiting numbers. Entry waiting registration was also refused if personal information registration was declined.

In 2021, Chanel Korea experienced a personal information leak involving 81,654 customers who purchased cosmetics. At that time, names, phone numbers, birthdays, addresses, gender, and emails were leaked due to external hacking, resulting in a fine of 126.16 million KRW and a penalty of 18.6 million KRW.

A representative from the Personal Information Protection Commission explained, “Businesses should collect only the minimum personal information necessary for their services, and this case serves as a reminder that customers should not be denied services simply because they refuse to provide personal information unrelated to the collection purpose.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.