Türkiye fines Meta $330,000 over Instagram’s child privacy breach

Türkiye's data protection authority has imposed a fine of 11.5 million Turkish Liras (nearly $330,000) on Instagram's parent company Meta, citing breaches of privacy stemming from accounts operated by minors on the social media platform.

Instagram allowed private accounts created by users under the age of 18 to be converted into business accounts, thereby rendering them publicly accessible, the Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK) said in a statement on Dec. 11.

This change facilitated the exposure of children's personal data, raising allegations of privacy violations and prompting the Turkish body to initiate an ex officio investigation, it said.

The inquiry revealed that email addresses and phone numbers associated with these Instagram business accounts became universally accessible, exposing child users to heightened vulnerabilities in the digital domain.

The Turkish regulator said this lack of safeguarding measures left minors disproportionately susceptible to online risks.