KVKK fines Meta for "failing to protect children on Instagram"!

Meta, the owner of platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp, has frequently faced fines from regulators in Turkey. Now, another penalty has been added to this situation. The Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK) has issued a fine to the tech giant.

The amount of the fine was announced as 11 million 500 thousand TL. It was stated that an administrative fine was imposed on the company on the grounds that it acted in violation of legal regulations aimed at protecting data.

FINED FOR LEAVING CHILDREN VULNERABLE TO RISKS IN ONLINE ENVIRONMENTS

The KVKK had launched an investigation into Meta regarding Instagram. The investigation was initiated following allegations that accounts opened by users under the age of 18 in private mode were converted into business accounts, making them public and exposing children's data to everyone.

As a result of the examination, it was determined that the email addresses and phone numbers in business accounts were included in the HTML source code and that this information was accessible to everyone. It was emphasized that this situation left child users vulnerable to online dangers.

It was determined that Meta remained insufficient in protecting data and that this could create negative effects on children. The company was fined 2 million 500 thousand TL for failing to fulfill its obligations. Additionally, an extra 9 million TL fine was imposed for failing to take measures against the easy conversion of accounts into business accounts, which made them public. As a result, a total fine of 11 million 500 thousand TL was applied to Meta.

News Source: 12punto