Türkiye has levied a combined administrative fine of TL 1.2 billion (around $37.2 million) against Meta Platforms following two investigations on data-sharing in the U.S. tech giant's Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads platforms, the competition watchdog said Wednesday.
The Competition Authority (RK) launched an investigation into Meta in December over a possible violation of competition law by linking its social media platforms Threads and Instagram. The board in March imposed an interim measure on Meta meant to hinder data sharing between those two platforms.
Meta said last month it would temporarily shut down Threads in Türkiye to comply with the interim order.
The board said on Wednesday it imposed a fine of TL 898 million for the compliance process and the investigations launched into Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as an additional TL 336 million fine for a separate investigation into Threads.
The authority said the amalgamation of data from Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp services impeded competitors' activities in social networking services and online video advertising markets. It further asserted that this integration erected barriers to entry into the market.
Users will be able to merge personal data between Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp with their own consent and will be notified about data usage, according to the board's decision. Users will be able to change their settings later, if needed, using an "accounts center" on the platforms, it said.
In January, the board also fined Meta $160,000 per day for failing to provide sufficient documentation as part of another previous investigation. It had also imposed a daily fine of 4.8 million lira per day in March over a notification message about data sharing.
Both those penalties ended on May 3.
In 2022, the board also decided to fine Meta TL 346.72 million for violating competition law.
