The Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK) decided to impose an administrative fine of 11 million 500 thousand liras on Meta, the owner of Instagram, who acted contrary to the provisions of the Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 regarding the accounts used by children.
ALLEGATIONS OF VIOLATION DRAWED EYES
According to KVKK’s decision, an investigation was initiated upon allegations that the personal data and privacy of child users were violated, as private Instagram accounts opened by users under the age of 18 were converted into business accounts and became publicly available, and children’s personal data was made accessible to everyone.
As a result of the review, it was determined that child users “became vulnerable to risks in the online environment” because the email address and phone number information in Instagram business accounts are included in Instagram’s HTML source code and this information can be collected by anyone.
KVKK FOUND INSUFFICIENT
Determining that Meta, as the data controller, was insufficient to take technical measures to ensure data security, KVKK determined that making children’s personal data accessible to everyone could have negative effects on children.
TOTAL 11 MILLION 500 THOUSAND LIRA FINE
KVKK imposed an administrative fine of 2 million 500 thousand liras on Meta, which did not take the necessary technical and administrative measures to ensure data security and did not fulfill its notification obligation within the scope of the relevant legal regulations.
An administrative fine of 9 million liras was imposed on Meta for not questioning the age criteria in the process of converting the secret Instagram accounts of child users into business accounts, and for not taking any measures to date to switch to business accounts with the knowledge and control of parents.
Thus, a total administrative fine of 11 million 500 thousand liras was imposed on Meta, which has more than 50 million users in Turkey.
(AA)