Turkey’s competition board fines Meta $37.2 mln for data violations

Turkey’s competition board fines Meta $37.2 mln for data violations is profiled by BTW Media because published evidence links it to internet infrastructure, governance, operational dependencies, or market visibility.

• The fine comes after the conclusion of two separate investigations probing potential violations of competition law, particularly concerning data-sharing between Meta’s platforms Threads, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
• Meta had faced an interim measure in March aimed at restricting data sharing between Threads and Instagram, leading to the temporary shutdown of Threads in Turkey last month.
• Users will now have more control over their personal data, with the board mandating that consent be obtained for merging data across platforms, and providing mechanisms for users to adjust their settings through an “accounts centre.”

Turkey’s Competition Board has imposed a hefty fine of 1.2 billion lire ($37.2 million) on Meta platforms following investigations into data-sharing practices across its social media platforms.

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Investigation and interim measures

Following months of scrutiny and investigation, Turkey’s Competition Board has announced a significant penalty against Meta platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads.

The board’s decision, which includes a fine of 1.2 billion lire ($37.2 million), marks the culmination of two separate probes into potential violations of competition law related to data-sharing practices within Meta’s ecosystem of social media platforms.

The Competition Commission said that the investigation of Meta and the process of complying with the investigative procedures, as well as another independent investigation into Threads, resulted in fines of 8.98 billion lire ($278 million) and 3.36 billion lire ($104.2 million), respectively, for Meta.

In response to these concerns, the board had imposed an interim measure in March to curb data-sharing between Threads and Instagram, ultimately leading Meta to announce the temporary shutdown of Threads in Turkey last month.

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User privacy and transparency measures

According to the decision of the Turkish Competition Council, users will be able to merge their personal data between Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp with their consent and will be notified about the use of their data.

Users will also be able to change their settings at any time using the Account Centre on the platforms to protect their privacy.

This decision marks the Turkish Competition Council’s strict regulation of the Meta platform, which is aimed at safeguarding fair competition and users’ right to data privacy.