By Jonathan Landrum Jr., Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Leonardo DiCaprio will help launch America's Food Fund, which has already raised $12 million to help communities impacted by the coronavirus.
The organization said Thursday that the funds will be aimed to help low-income families, the elderly, individuals facing job disruptions and children who rely on school lunch programs.
The food fund will work with hunger relief organizations World Central Kitchen and Feeding America.
DiCaprio serves as a co-founder of America's Food Fund with philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs. Apple and the Ford Foundation are also providing money to help launch the new initiative.
"In the face of this crisis, organizations like World Central Kitchen and Feeding America have inspired us all with their unwavering commitment to feed the most vulnerable people in need," DiCaprio said in a statement. "I thank them for their tireless work on the frontlines, they deserve all of our support."
The new coronavirus has caused a global pandemic that has sickened hundreds of thousands of people and killed more than 47,000 worldwide, crippled economies and forced restrictions on the movement of millions of people in an effort to stop the virus from spreading further and overwhelming health care systems.
"In times of need, a plate of food is both vital nourishment and a message of hope from the community, that we care and we're here to make sure that tomorrow, things will be better," said José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
Organizers say donations to America's Food Fund are being accepted and will be used on efforts to get meals to those who need them.
"With millions losing their jobs and programs like school lunches in jeopardy, making sure people aren't going hungry is of the utmost urgency," said Powell Jobs.
South Korea fines Meta $15 million for illegally collecting information on Facebook users
South Korea's privacy watchdog on Tuesday fined social media company Meta 21.6 billion won ($15 million) for illegally collecting sensitive personal information from Facebook users, including data about their political views and sexual orientation, and sharing it with thousands of advertisers.
It was the latest in a series of penalties against Meta by South Korean authorities in recent years as they increase their scrutiny of how the company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, handles private information.
Following a four-year investigation, South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission concluded that Meta unlawfully collected sensitive information about around 980,000 Facebook users, including their religion, political views and whether they were in same-sex unions, from July 2018 to March 2022.
It said the company shared the data with around 4,000 advertisers.
South Korea's privacy law provides strict protection for information related to personal beliefs, political views and sexual behavior, and bars companies from processing or using such data without the specific consent of the person involved.
The commission said Meta amassed sensitive information by analyzing the pages the Facebook users liked or the advertisements they clicked on.
The company categorized ads to identify users interested in themes such as specific religions, same-sex and transgender issues, and issues related to North Korean escapees, said Lee Eun Jung, a director at the commission who led the investigation on Meta.
"While Meta collected this sensitive information and used it for individualized services, they made only vague mentions of this use in their data policy and did not obtain specific consent," Lee said.
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