Advertising Board imposes fines for deceptive advertising: 17 million liras

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Trade, it was reported that the Advertising Board examined advertisements and unfair commercial practices that deceive or mislead consumers and exploit their lack of experience and knowledge.

The statement noted that out of 134 files reviewed during the March meeting, 119 were found to be in violation of regulations. It was stated that decisions were made to impose suspension and correction penalties, as well as administrative fines totaling 17 million 37 thousand 891 liras, regarding the advertisements and commercial practices in question.

It was reported that the main agenda of the meeting included membership practices in electronic commerce, targeted advertising, and website designs that collect consumers' personal data without their consent.

UNDER THE LENS

The statement pointed out that, as mentioned in the research report prepared within the scope of the "Digital Consumer Protection Project," one in every two consumers in digital media is concerned about sharing their personal data. It was concluded that 7 out of every 10 consumers accept membership and electronic communication consent as a "condition for proceeding" when shopping online, while 4 out of every 10 consumers tend to reject cookies.

Taking into account the results of the aforementioned report, it was stated that websites that impose membership conditions on consumers during the purchasing phase were examined, and the following statements were included:

"Evaluations were made regarding whether more personal data than necessary and mandatory for the purchase transaction is requested from the consumer, whether unsubscribing is made difficult by imposing heavier conditions than those required for signing up, whether cookie and commercial communication consent is offered to consumer preference alongside the membership agreement, and whether personal data is shared with third parties for targeted advertising and marketing purposes."

The statement noted that in the investigation conducted by the Board, academic opinions as well as international practices were taken into account, and that suspension and correction penalties, along with administrative fines, were applied regarding 12 files under evaluation.

The Board announced that details regarding decisions involving the cancellation of membership or making it difficult to unsubscribe, as well as the lack of options offered to consumers regarding targeted advertising and the sharing of personal data, will be shared later on the Ministry of Trade's website.