ISTANBUL: Turkey’s competition commission penalized Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. 346.72 million lira ($18.63 million) on Wednesday for violating competition legislation.
According to the Turkish authorities, the business possessed a strong position in personal social networking services and online video advertising and had hampered competitors by combining data obtained through its core platforms Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
A Meta Platforms spokeswoman stated that the firm disagrees with the investigation’s conclusions, stating that the tech giant respects user privacy and gives individuals transparency and control over their data, and that the company “will examine all possibilities.”
According to Turkey’s competition authority, Meta must act to restore competition in these markets and produce annual reports outlining its plans for the next five years.
The fine was calculated based on the company’s revenue in 2021, and the company has 60 days to appeal the verdict.
After the messaging service requested users to agree to let Facebook collect user data like as phone numbers and whereabouts, a shift that was implemented out globally, the competition authority initiated an inquiry into WhatsApp, and then Facebook Inc., in 2021.
Social media companies have come under scrutiny in Turkey, which passed legislation this week that would jail journalists and social media users for up to three years for propagating “disinformation.”
According to analysts, social media corporations are unlikely to fully comply with the law, which mandates them to remove such content and share user data with authorities.
Source: Reuters
