Threads is shutting down in Turkey due to privacy concerns

Meta’s messaging social app Threads will shut down in Turkey starting this month. According to the company, it does not comply with local privacy regulations. The Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) took issue with the way Threads automatically links users’ data to their Instagram profiles.

Threads launched last summer as Meta’s attempt to capitalize on growing interest in more private social networking. But it was too tightly integrated with Instagram. Setting up a Threads profile required an Instagram account, and deleting one also deleted the other by default. This raised obvious privacy concerns by forcing a data connection without options.

Meta will shut down Threads for Turkey on April 29

In response to regulators, Meta has since added options to separate the two profiles. But it seems that these changes came too late for the Turkish authorities. As of April 29, Threads will be temporarily blocked in the country, according to the latest order from the TCA. Notifications are informing millions of users to either delete or deactivate their profiles before then.

“To comply with an interim order of the Rekabet Kurumu/Turkish Competition Authority (TCA),” Meta writes on the blog. “We will shut down Threads in Turkey from Monday 29 April. We know this will be very disappointing for the many people in Turkey who engage on Threads with their community.”

This is the latest privacy battle between Meta and Turkish authorities. In 2022, Meta was fined $18.6 million in Turkey for combining user data across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It also faces cumulative daily fines of $160,000 for failing to comply with previous data-sharing orders.

Meta also says it is taking steps to minimize any disruption. However, the shutdown highlights Meta’s ongoing struggle to balance data usage policies across regions. While its popularity remains high, aggressive integration also brings increased scrutiny. In this matter, you can read our guide on how to deactivate your Threads account.