Competition Authority

The Finance Ministry's Tax Inspection Board has put companies that jack up prices despite no significant rise in costs and sectors where firms are suspected of engaging in cartel practices on its radar.

The board is working to identify firms that make profits above the sector average but failed to report their income properly in tax declarations.

The Turkish competition watchdog has announced that it imposed a fine amounting to approximately 482 million Turkish Liras ($14.85 million) on Google for its non-compliance with obligations pertaining to hotel searches.

Türkiye's competition board has declared that it started to fine Facebook-parent company Meta Platforms 4.8 million Turkish Liras ($160,000) per day over failure to fulfill its obligations on data collection from users.

In 2021, the Competition Authority initiated a probe in response to the software update imposed by WhatsApp on its users, mandating data sharing.

Türkiye's competition watchdog has decided to launch an investigation against five private French high schools in Istanbul and eight other schools in Ankara, following the allegations that some schools had increased their fees more than the determined rate.

Some restrictions will be introduced for car sales to arrest the increase in car prices, Trade Minister Mehmet Muş has said, noting the respective regulation is ready.

Under the new regulation, companies, car rental firms, and car dealers will have to wait for a period of time to sell new cars they have bought, he added.

Turkey's competition watchdog will soon announce its decision in a probe into automotive companies, Birol Küle, the head of the Competition Authority, said on Jan. 19. 

"We may announce the result of the investigation on automotive companies next week," he told private broadcaster CNN Türk.

WhatsApp has informed Turkey that its controversial new data-sharing rules will not come into effect in the country, the Turkish competition watchdog said on May 21.

The Competition Authority said it had been informed by WhatsApp that it would not implement a messaging app update in Turkey allowing it and owner Facebook Inc to collect certain user data.

Turkey's Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK) on Jan. 12 launched an investigation into WhatsApp over its new data-sharing rules.

The American messenger application recently forced users to agree to new service and privacy terms that allow sharing of more personal data with Facebook, which owns WhatsApp.

Following a complaint that Albania's electricity distribution company, OSHEE, colluded with two electricity traders - EFT A.G and GSA - to rig the outcome of import tenders, the Competition Authority has called on the energy regulator, ERE, to change the way monthly and yearly tenders are held.

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