Istanbul: Turkey’s competition authority has made a significant move against Meta Platforms Inc, issuing an interim measure aimed at curbing data sharing between the Instagram and Threads platforms. This action comes as the authority investigates potential abuses of Meta’s dominant market position.
Back in December, the authority initiated an investigation into Meta (META.O) over concerns about a possible breach of competition law. The investigation focused on Meta’s interlinking of its social media platforms Instagram and the newer Threads.
The competition authority emphasized that the interim measure would stay in effect until a final decision is reached. It expressed concerns that the data amalgamated from these two applications could potentially violate competition laws and cause irreparable harm within the market.
In a separate development, Turkish regulators imposed a daily fine of 4.8 million lira ($148,000) on Meta as part of another investigation. This investigation centered on a notification message sent by the company to users regarding data sharing practices.
According to the Turkish authority, the notification provided by Meta regarding data sharing between its services – Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp – was deemed insufficient and lacking in transparency. Furthermore, it was observed that the user notification seemed to influence users towards approving data sharing, a move considered inadequate in addressing anti-competitive concerns.
Notably, according to a report from the international news agency Reuters, a spokesperson from Meta opted not to provide an immediate comment on these decisions.
