Meta Platforms announced on Monday that its social media platform Threads will be temporarily shut down in Türkiye, a decision the company said was taken to comply with an interim order of the Turkish competition authority.
The platform will be suspended from April 29, the company said in a blog post.
It noted that there would be no impact on Meta’s other social media platforms and services, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp in Türkiye.
“We know this will be very disappointing for the many people in Türkiye who engage on Threads with their community. We are taking steps to minimize disruption as much as possible,” the post read.
Last month, the Competition Authority (RK) imposed an interim measure on Meta meant to hinder data sharing between the Instagram and Threads platforms as it investigated possible abuse of the company’s dominant market position.
The authority said the measure would remain in place until a final decision is made.
“We disagree with the interim order, we believe we are in compliance with all Turkish legal requirements, and we will appeal,” Meta said – although it had “no choice but to temporarily shut down Threads” in Türkiye.
Meta launched Threads in July last year as a competitor to X, formerly Twitter, with boss Mark Zuckerberg saying in February the service had 130 million monthly users worldwide.
The app allows users to post text, images, or videos, as well as like, share, or repost content.
Threads accounts are synched to Instagram at the outset, allowing users to keep their usernames and retain followers.
The app was immediately available in the U.S. and over 100 other countries, including the U.K. However, European Union users had to wait months for Meta to come up with a version adapted to strict data protection and competition laws.
In its March finding, the RK had said Meta’s combination of user data from Instagram with people’s Threads profiles “will lead to irreparable harms.”
Given its vast user base, data collection and financial resources, “Meta’s practices in the market constitute a barrier to entry” for prospective competitors, the authority added.
Meta said it would allow existing Threads users to delete or deactivate their profiles ahead of the April 29 cut-off, with a chance of reactivating them should the ruling be overturned.
“If a person chooses to deactivate their profile, then users’ posts and interactions with other people’s posts will become visible again if Threads returns to Türkiye,” it noted.
dailysabah.com