Turkey fines Meta Platforms $18.6 million for violating competition law

The Turkish antitrust authority has fined Meta Platforms Inc. 346.72 million liras ($18.63 million) for violating the competition law.

The Turkish regulator stated that Meta has a dominant position in social media advertising and hinders the work of competitors by aggregating and using data collected through its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp services. Thus, the company violates Article 6 of Law No. 4054 "On Protection of Competition."

In 2021, Turkey's antitrust authority launched an investigation into WhatsApp and then Facebook Inc. after the app updated its terms of service to say that it reserved to its owner Facebook Inc. and its subsidiaries the right to collect user data such as phone numbers and locations.

A Meta Platforms spokesman said the company disagreed with the investigation's findings and would consider all options.

The 2021 update did not require users to consent to Facebook collecting user data. It provided the users with clearer and more detailed information about how and why the data is used, a spokesman said.

Turkey's antitrust board said Meta must take steps to restore competition to the market and prepare annual reports on the steps it will take over the next five years.

Meta will also have to pay a fine of $18.63 million: this amount is based on the company's 2021 revenues. The company can appeal the decision within 60 days.