Internet Traffic Data Gathering Ability Brought to Constitutional Court

Kerem Altıparmak and Yaman Akdeniz, two academicians and cyber rights advocates, brought a recent amendment on Turkey’s Telecommunication Authorities’ (TİB) competence to gather data regarding internet traffic, saying that it could lead to the data gathering regarding ethnicity, political or religious views, union membership, health and sexual life. 

The lawyers submitted an individual complaint, claiming that TİB’s new ability would allow the institution to track users’ internet traffic data without a court order. 

The Constitutional Court processed another complaint on the same matter submitted by Republican People’s Party (CHP) - Turkey’s main opposition party, putting it to its schedule on October 2.  

“Violation of confidentiality and Constitution"

On September 26, Akdeniz and Altıparmak submitted an individual complaint through their attorney Onur Can Keskin, requesting the removal of the aforementioned amendment. 

The application emphasized that the amendment - which was a part of an omnibus bill - violated the guarantee of private life and confidentiality on the European Declaration of Human Rights Article 8 and Turkey’s Constitution.  

It added that TİB’s “unlimited and undefined” gathering of data regarding internet traffic would track users’ data on ethnicity, political or religious views, union membership, health and sexual life. 

Previously, Akdeniz and Altıparmak submitted an individual complaint to the Constitutional Court that led to the removal of Turkey’s twitter ban on April 2. (EÖ/AS/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.