WhatsApp: a fine in Turkey for personal data
It is Turkey’s turn to fine WhatsApp. The messaging which belongs to Facebook has violated the regulations on the protection of personal data.
Turkish Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK) condemned WhatsApp to a fine of 1,950,000 Turkish lira (197,108 euros) for not having taken “The measures necessary to avoid the processing of personal data contrary to the law”, announced the institution in a press release. The authority specifies having sanctioned WhatsApp because the application no longer offered free will to users. “Users are obliged to give their consent to the contract as a whole”, indicates the institution.
Turkey’s move comes the day after Ireland (home to Facebook’s European headquarters) imposed a record € 225 million fine on WhatsApp for similar offenses. Russia also fined WhatsApp and Facebook, as well as Twitter, in August for not storing Russian user data on local servers.
In January, Turkish authorities urged citizens to prioritize the use of a local messaging application, BiP, developed by mobile operator Turkcell, instead of WhatsApp.
WhatsApp came under fire in January after asking its roughly two billion users to agree to new terms of service, allowing it to share more data with Facebook. The group has since put the project on hold.
