Turkey Fines "WhatsApp" for Violating Personal Data Protection Regulations

Turkey imposed a fine on "WhatsApp" on Friday for violating personal data protection regulations, just a day after the Irish digital authority imposed a record penalty on the messaging app for a similar reason. The Turkish Personal Data Protection Authority fined "WhatsApp" 1,950,000 Turkish Lira (197,366 euros) for failing to take "necessary measures to avoid processing personal data in a manner that violates the law," according to a statement released by the institution. "WhatsApp," a subsidiary of social media giant "Facebook," faced criticism in January after asking nearly two billion users to agree to new terms of service that allowed it to share more data with "Facebook." The Turkish authority stated that it penalized "WhatsApp" for the app taking away users' "freedom of will." It added that "users are obligated to give their consent to the entire contract." This decision came a day after Ireland, home to "Facebook's" European headquarters, imposed a record fine of 225 million euros on "WhatsApp" for similar violations. Russia also imposed fines on "WhatsApp," "Facebook," and "Twitter" in August for failing to store Russian user data on local servers. In January, Turkish authorities urged citizens to prioritize using the local messaging app "BiP," developed by the mobile operator "Turkcell."