By Mauro Orru


Meta Platforms said it would suspend access to Threads in Turkey to comply with an interim order from the country's competition watchdog prohibiting data-sharing between the microblogging app and Instagram.

The tech giant that also owns Facebook and WhatsApp said Monday that it would shut down Threads from April 29 in the country, notifying users through the app and providing options to deactivate or delete their accounts and download their data. Meta said the suspension would be temporary as it plans to appeal the order from the Turkish Competition Authority.

The regulator said last month that Meta was sharing data from users who create Threads profiles based on their Instagram accounts without providing them with a confirmation option. The authority also said that the size and diversity of Meta's user base made its services attractive for advertisers since the company has been gathering data for many years, creating a barrier for competitors.

"We disagree with the interim order, we believe we are in compliance with all Turkish legal requirements, and we will appeal," Meta said on Monday.

While Turkey is not a member of the European Union, the interim order shows the extent to which Meta continues to be caught in the cross-hairs of regulators over its handling of user data.

The company launched Threads in the U.S. last summer, but had withheld launching it in the European Union because of the bloc's regulations for online services, which are among the toughest in the world.

Threads only launched in Europe in December with a special set of rules. Users in the EU can choose to create a Threads profile connected to their Instagram account, or use Threads without a profile only to search accounts, browse and share content via link copying or platform sharing, without the ability to create a post or directly interact with content.

Last year, a group representing more than 80 media outlets in Spain filed a lawsuit against Meta, saying the company hadn't complied with European data-protection laws that require users' consent before their data are used for advertising profiling.


Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

04-15-24 1028ET