The Turkish Competition Authority has blocked data sharing between Instagram and Twitter

The Turkish Competition Authority has intervened to prevent data sharing between Instagram and WhatsApp.

The Turkish Competition Authority took temporary action against Meta on Tuesday, blocking data sharing between the Instagram and WhatsApp platforms to complete their investigation into the company’s potential abuse of its dominant position in the Turkish market.

According to Rojname, in December 2023, this authority initiated an investigation into Meta, raising concerns about potential competition law violations by examining the social networks WhatsApp and Instagram, both of which are subsidiaries of Meta.

The authority stated that this temporary measure will remain in effect until a final decision is made. The Turkish Competition Authority believes that data obtained and integrated through these two platforms could violate competition law and create irreparable harm in the market.

Separately, Turkish authorities have fined Meta 48 million Turkish lira (approximately 148,000 dollars) daily as part of a separate investigation into the notification message the company sends to users about data sharing.

It is said that the data sharing notification between Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp does not provide users with sufficient information and transparency. This announcement is designed to guide users in confirming data sharing, which does not alleviate competition concerns from the Turkish authorities.