Bithumb fined 210 million won in South Korea over overseas data transfers

South Korea’s privacy regulator said the crypto exchange transferred customer and trading-related information to overseas exchanges and systems, including during order-book sharing, without obtaining proper consent.

USDT

Summary

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission fined Bithumb 210 million won for transferring user personal data overseas without proper consent. The regulator said that from September to November last year, the crypto exchange shared its Tether order book with an overseas exchange, sent member numbers and order information to a separate exchange-operated system, and provided AML-related personal data to 13 overseas exchanges. The case, reported by The Block as involving user data exposure during an overseas order-book sharing process, highlights intensifying scrutiny of crypto platforms’ customer-data handling and cross-border compliance controls.

Terms & Concepts
  • order book: A real-time list of buy and sell orders for an asset on a trading platform.
  • AML: Short for anti-money laundering, rules and processes aimed at preventing illicit funds from moving through the financial system.
  • Tether: A dollar-pegged digital token, often referred to by its ticker USDT.