The Advertisement Board of Türkiye, with its Decision No. 2025/847, imposed an administrative fine of ₺863,580 and ordered an advertisement suspension against YouTube (Google Reklamcılık ve Pazarlama Ltd. Şti.) for engaging in unfair and deceptive commercial practices—specifically, the use of “dark patterns” in its YouTube Premiumsubscription campaigns.
The investigation found that:
- The “Individual” plan was pre-ed by default, limiting users' freedom of choice.
- The “Try it free” offers required credit card entry, enabling automatic renewals without clear notice.
- The rejection mechanism (an "X" icon) for declining offers was visually minimized and placed asymmetrically, making it harder to opt out.
These interface strategies were ruled to mislead consumers, conceal material information, and impair autonomous decision-making, which contravenes Articles 61, 62, and 63 of the Consumer Protection Law No. 6502 and related advertising regulations.
The Board also referenced EU standards, particularly the Digital Services Act (DSA) and OECD guidance on dark commercial patterns, underlining that manipulative interface designs—such as default settings, hidden opt-outs, and misleading “free trial” language—pose significant risks to consumer autonomy.
This decision aligns with the Board's earlier rulings on similar practices by Spotify and Amazon, reinforcing a growing regulatory stance against digital marketing tactics that compromise transparency and fairness.
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