Legal Evolution of Electronic Signatures

In our previous Newsletters, we have dealt with the legal recognition of electronic signatures. This article is an update on the legal evolution of electronic signatures in Turkey, as well as a brief evaluation of the consequences and outcomes of such evolution on a practical scale.

The Electronic Signature Law ("Law") entered into force on 23 July 2004. Two additional regulations, namely the Regulation on the Application of the Electronic Signature Law ("Regulation") and the Regulation Amending the Regulation on the Application of the Electronic Signature Law ("Amending Regulation") followed the enactment of the Law. The two main entities for electronic signatures are the Telecommunications Board ("Board") and the certification service providers ("CSP"). CSPs are defined in the Law as "public entities, individuals or private legal entities that provide services related to e-signatures and e-certificates".