Turkey investigates WhatsApp over privacy terms, promotes state-controlled alternative
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The Competition Board has opened an investigation against WhatsApp after it announced its new privacy terms, which its users have to agree with in order to be able to use the application from February 8 on.
Over the past few days, users have been asked to accept the new terms that regulate WhatsApp's information sharing with "Facebook family companies."
The company has faced a backlash from its users in Turkey, as well as in the world, as many people are moving to other messengers such as Signal and Telegram with news outlets publishing articles comparing the three messengers in terms of privacy.
Meanwhile, government officials accused WhatsApp of privacy violations and recommended BiP, a messenger developed by the Turkcell GSM operator, the controlling stake of which is owned by the Turkey Wealth Fund (TWF), which is chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
"Digital fascism"
Ali Taha Koç, the head of the Presidency Digital Transformation Office, called the public to stand against what he called digital fascism by WhatsApp and use BiP and Dedi, another Turkey-based messaging application, instead.
In tweets he posted Saturday (January 9), he criticized WhatsApp for not applying the same policy in the EU and other countries.
WhatsApp said it wouldn't share users' information with Facebook in European countries.
The Competition Board today (December 11) announced that it opened an ex officio investigation into WhatsApp and Facebook to determine whether the new privacy terms violate article 6 of the Law on Protection of Competition, which aims to prevent a company from abusing its dominant position in the market.
The board said it suspended the data sharing, even if users accepted rules, due to the potential for irreparable losses, until the conclusion of the investigation.
In this context, Facebook too must suspend data sharing and announce its move to all users, the statement said.
BiP does not offer end-to-end encryption and says in its privacy terms that it may store and share user data outside of Turkey while Dedi, which is developed by a non-profit organization called the Information Technologies and Internet Security Association, provides encrypted chats. However, it does not give information as to whether it stores and shares user data other than conversations.
Conversations on WhatsApp are also end-to-end encrypted and the new terms won't change the company's data practices with Facebook, said Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, in response to criticism.
Facebook and WhatsApp are not able to access users' chats, which are protected by end-to-end encryption, he said on Twitter Saturday.
Article 6 of the Law on Protection of CompetitionThe abuse, by one or more undertakings, of their dominant position in a market for goods or services within the whole or a part of the country on their own or through agreements with others or through concerted practices, is illegal and prohibited. Abusive cases are, in particular, as follows: a) Preventing, directly or indirectly, another undertaking from entering into the area of commercial activity, or actions aimed at complicating the activities of competitors in the market, b) Making direct or indirect discrimination by offering different terms to purchasers with equal status for the same and equal rights, obligations and acts, c) Purchasing another good or service together with a good or service, or tying a good or service demanded by purchasers acting as intermediary undertakings to the condition of displaying another good or service by the purchaser, or imposing limitations with regard to the terms of purchase and sale in case of resale, such as not selling a purchased good below a particular price, d) Actions which aim at distorting competitive conditions in another market for goods or services by means of exploiting financial, technological and commercial advantages created by dominance in a particular market, e) Restricting production, marketing or technical development to the prejudice of consumers |
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