The Closure of Threads in Turkey
A Meta announced on Monday (15) that it will temporarily close Threads in Turkey starting on April 29. The closure is in accordance with a provisional measure issued by the Turkish Competition Authority (TCA).
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Here are the key points regarding the closure of Threads in Turkey, as stated by Meta:
To comply with a provisional measure from the Turkish Competition Authority, Meta will temporarily close Threads in Turkey starting on April 29;
There is no impact on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or any other Meta services in Turkey, nor on Threads in other countries;
Meta is exploring measures to minimize disruptions for people using Threads in Turkey.
Temporary Closure Measures
(Image: Divulgação/Meta)
To minimize the disruptions caused by this temporary closure, Threads will implement several measures – for example: notifying users in Turkey about the decision within the app before the closure date. Additionally, users will have the option to deactivate their profiles, keeping their data intact, or permanently delete their profiles. Those who choose to deactivate will be able to restore their posts and interactions if Threads returns to the country.
The TCA recently issued a provisional order prohibiting data sharing between Threads and Instagram. We disagree with the provisional order, believe we are in compliance with all Turkish legal requirements, and will appeal. The TCA’s provisional order leaves us no choice but to temporarily close Threads in Turkey. We will continue to engage constructively with the TCA and hope to bring Threads back to the people in Turkey as soon as possible.Meta, in statement
Provisional Measure Against Meta
(Image: Adrian Tusar/Shutterstock)
Turkey imposed a provisional measure against Meta prohibiting data sharing between the Instagram and Threads platforms on March 18. The measure came as the country’s competition authority investigated potential abuse of big tech’s dominant position in the market. According to Reuters, the Turkish antitrust regulator started the investigation in December 2023.
For the Turkish regulator, data sharing between the two social networks could “violate competition law and cause irreparable harm” in the market. The authority added that the provisional measure will remain in effect until a final decision is made.
(Image: sdx15/Shutterstock)
It is worth noting that this is not the only scrutiny Meta faces in Turkey. Separately, the company was also fined 4.8 million liras (US$148,000) as part of another investigation into a notification message that the company sends to users regarding data sharing.
According to the Turkish authority, the message, which warns about data sharing between Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, did not provide sufficient information and was not transparent enough regarding data processing.
