Türkiye fines 152 property, car dealers $307,000 for illegal social media ads

ANKARA

Türkiye’s Trade Ministry has fined 152 real estate agencies and car dealerships a total of 15.2 million Turkish Liras ($307,000) for publishing advertisements that violate regulations on social media, as part of efforts to combat fake listings and protect consumers.

The ministry said inspections were continuing under the Electronic Advertisement Verification System (EİDS), which requires identity and authorization checks for property and vehicle listings published online.

Businesses posting advertisements on platforms including Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and TikTok must share links to verified listings, ensure that photos and descriptions match the advertised property or vehicle, and include price information.

The ministry said 70 businesses were recently fined a combined 7 million liras, bringing the cumulative total to 152 businesses and 15.2 million liras in penalties.

Social media companies have also faced sanctions. Meta’s Turkish subsidiary was fined 20 million liras for failing to integrate with the verification system and meet identity and authorization requirements, while TikTok’s Turkish subsidiary received a 4 million-lira fine. Meta’s cumulative penalties under the measures reached 36.2 million liras, the ministry said.