Million-lira fine for X from KVKK

The Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK) has imposed an administrative fine of 1 million 470 thousand liras on the social media platform X (Twitter) on the grounds that it violated provisions regarding data security.

The KVKK launched an ex officio investigation following an announcement published on X's website, as well as related news reports, stating that "email addresses or phone numbers provided by users for security and safety purposes were inadvertently used for advertising purposes within their advertising systems" under the Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698.

Taking into account that the processed personal data may have fallen into the hands of third parties and that the number of X users in Turkey is very high, the KVKK determined that processing personal data provided for security purposes for advertising activities is contrary to the principles of "being in accordance with the law and rules of honesty" and "being connected, limited and proportionate to the purpose for which they are processed" as stipulated in the law.

The KVKK decided to impose an administrative fine of 1 million 470 thousand liras on X for processing personal data unlawfully, failing to take the necessary technical and administrative measures to ensure an appropriate level of security as required by Law No. 6698, and failing to fulfill its obligations regarding data security.

News Source: 12punto