Threads to temporarily shut down its service in Turkey from April 29 to comply with a government injunction banning data sharing between Threads and Instagram

Threads, a social networking app developed and operated by Meta, has announced that it will temporarily shut down its service in Turkey from April 29, 2024.

We Will Temporarily Shut Down Threads in Türkiye | Meta

https://about.fb.com/news/2024/04/we-will-temporarily-shut-down-threads-in-turkiye/

Meta is shutting down Threads in Turkey following injunction against data-sharing with Instagram
https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-shutting-down-threads-in-turkey-following-injunction-against-data-sharing-with-instagram-154725011.html

Meta to close Threads in Turkey to comply with injunction prohibiting data sharing with Instagram | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/15/meta-to-close-threads-in-turkey-to-comply-with-injunction-prohibiting-data-sharing-with-instagram/

Threads is testing a 'Message' buttons shortcut for Instagram DMs
https://9to5google.com/2024/04/15/threads-message-button-test/

Meta to temporarily shut down Threads platform in Türkiye | Daily Sabah
https://www.dailysabah.com/business/tech/meta-to-temporarily-shut-down-threads-platform-in-turkiye

Meta creates Threads account profiles based on Instagram account registration information without opting in . The Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) is investigating Meta's alleged abuse of its dominant position by linking Threads and Instagram, claiming that the data link between the Threads app and the Instagram app is illegal and 'causing irreparable harm.' On March 18, 2024, the TCA issued a preliminary injunction against Meta.

The TCA's preliminary injunction states: 'Meta has been operating in the market for many years, accumulating comprehensive and detailed data. The size and diversity of Meta's user base makes its services attractive to advertisers. This situation allows Meta to allocate more resources to the development of its services, making it more difficult for competitors to access advertisers and, as a result, financial resources. In this context, Meta's activities create barriers to entry in the market. Meta operates as an ecosystem, including the basic and related services it provides, which allows Meta to transfer the power and knowledge it gains from each service to another, thereby increasing its market power.'

To comply with the TCA's preliminary injunction, Meta announced that it will temporarily shut down Threads in Turkey starting Monday, April 29, 2024. Meta explained that this decision is 'very disappointing for Threads users in Turkey' and announced that it will take the following measures to minimize disruption as much as possible.

Everyone using Threads in Turkey will be notified about this decision within the Threads app until April 29th.
Users using Threads in Turkey can choose to either “Deactivate but not delete my Threads profile” or “Delete my Threads profile”.
If you choose to deactivate your profile, your posts and interactions with others will become visible again when Threads resumes its service in Turkey.
Users with deactivated profiles can always download their posts and save their existing content using the information download tool.

Meta disagrees with the TCA's preliminary injunction, believes it has complied with all Turkish legal requirements, and plans to appeal. However, it explained that in order to provisionally comply with the TCA's preliminary injunction, it has been forced to temporarily terminate Threads services in Turkey. Meta wrote that it 'plans to continue to engage constructively with the TCA and bring Threads back to the Turkish people as soon as possible.'

Regarding the data integration between Instagram and Threads, technology media Engadget said, 'Turkish regulators aren't the only ones who think the integration between the two is a bit creepy. Since Threads was launched, the data integration between Instagram and Threads has been a constant point of contention. The two apps are so closely tied to each other that initially users couldn't even delete their Threads accounts without deleting their Instagram accounts. '

In addition, Turkish regulators fined Meta $18.6 million (approximately 2.87 billion yen) in 2022 for alleged antitrust violations. Turkey asked Meta to submit documents detailing its efforts to prevent violations of the law, but Meta was fined additionally for insufficient explanations in the documents.