Turkey's Advertising Board fines companies over 249 million lira

Turkey’s Ministry of Trade has announced that its Advertising Board imposed more than 249 million lira in administrative fines during the first nine months of the year to combat deceptive advertising and unfair commercial practices.

In its most recent meeting on October 8, the Board reviewed 161 files, resulting in 136 cease-and-desist orders and approximately 17.2 million lira in fines. The regulatory actions follow the implementation of new regulations on August 1, which tightened oversight on targeted advertising, AI-generated content, social media influencers, and discount sales.

Specific enforcement actions included penalties for 32 social media accounts that failed to disclose paid promotions and nine jewelry firms for misleading discount claims. The Board also targeted retailers making false high-percentage discount promises, such as claiming 75% off without adhering to rules regarding the lowest price in the preceding 10 days.