South Korea Fines Google KRW207.4 Billion Over Android Dominance Abuse

South Korea recently passed its Anti-Google Law, which goes into effect today, 14 September 2021. Tangentially related is another fine the country is laying on the internet search giant which amounts to KRW207.4 billion (~RM735 million). This is allegedly because of the company’s abuse of the dominance of its Android mobile operating system.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission said that Google’s anti-fragmentation agreements (AFA) with phone makers prevents them from developing or using modified versions of Android. In addition to the fine, the commission also banned Google from making manufacturers sign new AFA contracts, and making it modify existing ones.

These moves are reportedly intended to spur competition by letting companies create more forks of Android. This then would allow each brand to modify the mobile OS to “target different device classes or use cases” without Google retaliating. Google, naturally, will be appealing the decision, saying that the ruling “will undermine the advantages enjoyed by consumers”.

All things considered though, it remains to be seen if this is really enough for there to be any real change to the status quo, at least on the mobile phone front. Things may be different on the smart TV or wearable sides of the market.

McDonald’s In South Korea And Taiwan Breached By Hackers

McDonald’s has been hit by a data breach in South Korea and Taiwan which compromised some customer and employee information. The world’s largest fast food chain now joins a rapidly growing list of companies worldwide that have fallen victim to hackers.

According to Reuters, the company said that the hackers accessed e-mails, phone numbers, and delivery addresses, but not customer payment information. As one would expect, McDonald’s will be notifying regulators and affected customers.

Information about the breach apparently came from an investigation involving external consultants that was initiated after unauthorised activity was discovered on the company’s network.

“While we were able to close off access quickly after identification, our investigation has determined that a small number of files were accessed, some of which contained personal data,” McDonalds reportedly said in a statement.

Cyberattacks have been increasing at an alarming rate, with their targets and consequences growing exponentially bigger. Last month, a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline in the US crippled fuel supplies in a large swath of the country for days. Later, hackers using ransomware struck at the world’s largest meat supplier JBS, temporarily paralysing some company operations in Australia, Canada, and the US.

Unsurprisingly, the ability of cybercriminals to attack critical infrastructure and critical industries is a top worry in Washington and other Western capitals right now. Many of these cyberattacks have been linked to Russia or hackers based in Russia – a country that has undoubtedly poor relations with America.