Two-Minute Recap Of Recent Developments In Turkish Personal Data Protection Law – December 2021

This article examines the protection of minors in digital services through a comparative legal analysis directed at foreign platforms and families. It distinguishes access restrictions, age assurance, parental authority, personal-data processing and routes of challenge.

In January 2026, the Turkish Personal Data Protection Authority (the "DPA") issued several public announcements and published six data breach notifications.

Following numerous filings from Turkish citizens, residing abroad, concerning transfer and sharing of their personal data with institutions and organizations of other countries, the Personal Data Protection Authority ...

For many businesses in Türkiye, a single decision of the Personal Data Protection Board can now mean multimillion-lira fines, suspended data transfers, and immediate operational disruptions.

6698 sayılı Kişisel Verilerin Korunması Kanunu’nun (“KVKK”) 9 uncu maddesi kapsamında kişisel verilerin yurtdışına aktarımlarının uygulanması ile Kişisel Verileri Koruma Kurulu’nun (“Kurul”) beklediği uygun güvenceler hakkında kamuoyunun aydınlatılması amacıyla Kişisel Verileri Koruma Kurumu (“Kurum”) tarafından 2 Ocak 2025 tarihinde Kişisel Verilerin Yurt Dışına Aktarılması Rehberi (“Rehber”) yayımlanmıştır.

The Regulation will take effect on 1 November 2026 and allows until 31 March 2027 for existing accounts, and as the relevant sanction provisions of Law No. 5651 will apply to breaches of its obligations, social network providers should review their registration flows, child accounts and objection processes before the effective date.

Pursuant to Article 3 of the Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data (“KVKK”), personal data is defined as any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. Although the concept is expressed in these terms under Turkish law, different legal systems adopt different approaches.

This comprehensive report examines the evolving landscape of personal data protection in Türkiye, analyzing regulatory developments, enforcement trends, and emerging compliance challenges through 2025 and into the first half of 2026. The analysis covers the Turkish Personal Data Protection Authority's expanding guidance framework, significant enforcement actions totaling TRY 352.5 million in fines, and critical regulatory shifts including new cybersecurity legislation and constitutional court decisions

Türkiye'de kişisel verilerin yurt dışına aktarılması süreci, 10 Temmuz 2024'te yayımlanan yönetmelik ve 2026 yılı itibarıyla tam kapasite çalışan dijital bildirim...

Technological developments, the widespread use of cloud-based services, the operation of companies within multinational group structures and the increasing reliance on service providers located abroad have made cross-border transfers of personal data an integral part of companies’ day-to-day business activities.

SPK, halka açık olmayan ortaklıkların halka arz başvurularını ilan edilen sıradan bağımsız olarak önceliklendirmek üzere üç alternatif kriter belirledi

With its decision No. 57/1708 dated 17.09.2026, the Capital Markets Board (the “CMB”) set out the liquidation procedures for the 131 investment funds established by Tera, A1 Capital, Atlas, Bulls, Hedef, Pardus and Pusula Portföy Yönetimi, whose liquidation had been ordered under its previous decision, and updated the relevant list of funds in the same decision.

Borsa Istanbul’s BIST 100 index came under significant selling pressure over three consecutive trading sessions between 15-17 September 2026. The index closed down 5.54% on 16 September, a move that triggered Borsa Istanbul’s index-linked circuit breaker, and negative momentum continued into the morning of 17 September. The sell-off was primarily triggered by a default at Pusula Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş., a portfolio management company, which failed to meet investor redemption requests from certain funds it manages in a timely manner. A similar liquidity problem emerged at Tera Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş., and this situation put pronounced pressure on the shares of both companies as well as on broader market indices.

On 16 September 2026, the money market funds founded by Pusula Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş. defaulted after failing to meet the cash redemption requests received from investors, triggering a sharp sell off on Borsa Istanbul. The BIST 100 index lost 5.54% that same day and hit a circuit breaker; the selling soon spread to Tera Portföy funds as well. It became apparent that the problem was not confined to those two firms but also extended to Hedef, Atlas, A1 Capital, Pardus and Bulls Portföy.

The Capital Markets Board of Türkiye (“CMB” or the “Board”), through its principle decision No. i-SPK.15.2 (dated 03.09.2026 and numbered 54/1614) (“Resolution”), has lowered to 3% the minimum shareholding disclosure threshold under the Material Events Disclosure Commu-niqué No. II-15.1 (“Communiqué”). The Reso-lution will apply as from the end of the day on 11.09.2026.

Sermaye Piyasası Kurulu (“Kurul”) 17.09.2026 tarihli ve 57/1708 sayılı kararı ile, bir önceki kararında tasfiyesine karar verilen ve Tera, A1 Capital, Atlas, Bulls, Hedef, Pardus ve Pusula Portföy Yönetimi tarafından kurulmuş toplam 131 yatırım fonunun tasfiye usul ve esasları belirlenmiş, ilgili fon listesi de aynı kararla güncellenmiştir.

Presidential Circular No. 2026/9, dated 17 August 2026, was published in the Official Gazette on 18 August 2026. The Circular requires public institutions and organisations to carry out the necessary work and provide the support needed to implement the Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Action Plan (the “Plan”), which sets out Türkiye’s artificial intelligence roadmap for the 2026–2030 period.

16.09.2026 tarihinde, Pusula Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş.’nin kurucusu olduğu para piyasası fonlarının yatırımcılardan gelen nakit iade taleplerini karşılayamayarak temerrüde düşmesi, Borsa İstanbul’da sert bir satış dalgasını tetiklemiştir. BIST 100 endeksi aynı gün %5,54 değer kaybederek devre kesici uygulamasına konu olmuş, satış dalgası kısa sürede Tera Portföy fonlarında da görülmüş; sorunun yalnızca iki kurumla sınırlı kalmayıp Hedef, Atlas, A1 Capital, Pardus ve Bulls Portföy’ü de kapsadığı anlaşılmıştır.

Türkiye Emisyon Ticaret Sistemi Yönetmeliği (“Yönetmelik”), 27 Ağustos 2026 tarihli ve 33353 sayılı Resmî Gazete’de yayımlanarak aynı tarihte yürürlüğe girmiştir. Yönetmelik ile 7552 sayılı İklim Kanunu (“İklim Kanunu”) uyarınca Türkiye Emisyon Ticaret Sistemi’nin (“ETS”) kapsamı sera gazı emisyon izni, izleme, raporlama ve doğrulama, tahsisatlandırma ve piyasa işleyişine ilişkin temel kuralları düzenlemektedir.

March 2022 – In February 2022, the Turkish Personal Data Protection Board (the "Board") issued two decisions and announced five data breach notifications.