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Meta has been on the radar of the Turkish Competition Authority due to its recent user data management policies. Data sharing and integration processes, especially between Instagram and Threads applications, brought about various investigations in terms of competition law. The institution took an important step and issued an interim injunction within the scope of the investigation it initiated on suspicion of Meta abusing his dominant position.
Meta’s data management is being investigated
The investigation focused on Meta creating a Threads profile based on users’ Instagram accounts and combining the user data obtained in this process without users’ consent. The Competition Authority stated that this action could cause irreparable damage until the investigation is completed and therefore an interim injunction decision was necessary.
Meta’s many years of presence in the industry and the extensive data accumulation it has acquired during this time have reinforced the company’s strong position in the market. While this situation made the services offered by Meta more attractive for advertisers, it also made it difficult for competitors to have a presence in the market and access financial resources.
Investigations conducted by the institution revealed that Meta created an ecosystem through its core and related services and thus increased the market power it gained. Meta’s ability to transfer the power and knowledge it gained from one service to other services posed a serious entry barrier for competitors in the market.
In light of these findings, the Competition Authority decided to impose interim measures on the grounds that the data transfer and combination behavior between Instagram and Threads may negatively affect competition. This decision could significantly impact the way Meta manages user data and interactions in the marketplace. The interim injunction will be implemented until the completion of the investigation process and will significantly restrict Meta’s data sharing between relevant applications.