The General Assembly Meeting of the Access Providers Association was held under the auspices of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority.
The program was attended by Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, BTK President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, and sector representatives.
In his opening speech at the program, UAB Deputy Minister Sayan once again emphasized the importance of domestic and national production.
Noting that the age we live in is advancing very rapidly, Sayan spoke about the changes the internet has undergone since its emergence. Pointing out that nearly half of humanity uses the internet today, Sayan said, "We are talking about a change that overcomes every field, every scale, every wall, and fills every gap. This change has fundamentally altered humanity's modes of production, consumption, work, and governance. We have before us a realm with unlimited potential that has changed humanity's language of communication in a very short time. This environment represents not only technological change but also a cultural, social, and philosophical revolution that influences every stage of human activity. However, the technological developments we have witnessed especially in the last 5-10 years also bring risks with them. Therefore, it is necessary to develop defense methods against the consequences of this situation."
Emphasizing that countries are establishing their own cyber armies against cyber threats, Sayan stated, "International cyber alliances are also gaining strategic importance. The list of perceived threats grows every day. While countries determine the framework of cyber operations, they can proceed from concepts such as the classic right to self-defense. Of course, the relatively fluid nature of the field and rules also leads to the emergence of new principles and crossed lines. If not managed properly, the harm of the internet could outweigh its benefits. In this regard, our greatest protector will be domestic and national production. We frequently emphasize this on every platform. The 2023 vision framed by our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will lead us there, and it will be the 'National Technology Move' initiated under our President's leadership. Because a technology whose all details we do not master provides us no benefit. Therefore, I want to underline once again that what will protect us from uncertainties and vulnerabilities is domestic and national production in every place and every field," reiterating the emphasis on domestic and national production.
Deputy Minister Sayan: Alliances and Friendships Change Very Quickly in the World
Drawing attention to the vulnerabilities brought by the lack of development of international regulations in internet governance through a common perception and decision-making method, Sayan said, "In the world, alliances, friends, enemies, and their definitions change very frequently. The only unchanging alliance is the one you establish with your own power and your own accumulation. Under the leadership of our President, we are struggling to achieve this. Turkey must be a country that is decisive, stands tall, and protects its people and the oppressed, inspired by our civilization and culture. This is the name of the burden history has brought us and that we have gladly shouldered. Since 2002, this struggle has continued to grow. The more we embrace our struggle, the harder they will try to strike us. This is the nature of life, politics, and power struggles. The National Technology Move is an inclusive, permanent, and national framework. Every endeavor based on this framework is a service to the homeland. It is fulfilling a promise made to our children, youth, and ancestors. This is our perspective and stance," he stated.
The attack in New Zealand was also on Deputy Minister Sayan's agenda. Condemning the terrorist attack, Sayan mentioned the vulnerabilities on social networks and said, "They must be sensitive."
President Karagözoğlu: Ensuring Our Citizens' Safety Against Internet Risks is Our Duty
BTK President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu also made a speech. Noting that the world can be easily reached everywhere thanks to the internet, Sayan said, "At this point, the internet has become a focal point for many risks and dangers alongside the infinite opportunities, possibilities, and benefits it offers. While rapidly developing internet technologies make our lives easier on one hand, they have become a medium that can affect all internet users, especially children and youth, both positively and negatively on the other. Our institution follows developments related to the Internet, produces new policies, conducts studies to protect users, especially children, from the harms of the internet, and supports works done in this area. Ensuring that internet users, especially children and youth, benefit most effectively from the opportunities offered by the internet and remain safe against its risks and dangers is among the primary duties of our institution and you, the internet service providers. We need to work harder together with all our might in line with these duties."
President Karagözoğlu shared the following information about the studies conducted by BTK on the subject: "As you know, the Access Providers Association was established to more effectively combat crimes committed through publications made in the internet environment together with our institution and to ensure that court decisions are implemented without delay, especially when personal rights violations occur. As we all know, ESB has filled a major gap, and the problem of 'inability to enforce decisions' arising from the uncertainty of counterparts during the implementation of court decisions has been sought to be addressed with the establishment of ESB. With the works carried out by ESB since its establishment until today, significant steps have been taken in remedying grievances in the internet environment, and our institution continues its works in coordination with ESB."
President Karagözoğlu: ESB Should Promote Conscious and Effective Use of the Internet
"It is extremely important for us to convey not only the harmful aspects of the internet but also the opportunities it brings to children, youth, and families," said Karagözoğlu in his speech, adding, "In this direction, our institution, like many European Union countries, gives weight to awareness-raising activities to ensure that our citizens use the Internet consciously, safely, and effectively, and to increase awareness on this matter. With the principle of lifelong education and lifelong learning, we conduct our activities with the awareness that we need to equip all our citizens, especially our children and youth, with the digital skills they need to be affected as little as possible by the potential harms of technology and the internet and to benefit at the highest level from the opportunities it offers. As you know, a cooperation protocol was signed in 2017 between our institution and the Access Providers Association to widespread the conscious, safe, and effective use of the internet, to increase the effectiveness of the Safe Internet Service, and to create societal awareness on this subject. Some works are being carried out within the framework of this protocol with the Access Providers Association."
Karagözoğlu stated, "I would like to take this opportunity to remind of the importance of the responsibilities of the Access Providers Association in widespreading the conscious and safe use of the internet. As a result of the social responsibility activities to raise awareness and create awareness that our access providers providing internet access to our citizens will carry out together with Civil Society Organizations, universities, sectoral stakeholders, and print and visual media to increase the awareness of all our internet users towards conscious and safe use of the internet, we will have future generations who use the internet and technology much more efficiently and healthily. As a result, I am sure that our country will become one of the leading digital economies in the world."
President Karagözoğlu: Taking Precautions is of Vital Importance
Calling on the Association to cooperate with universities in solving problems, Karagözoğlu said, "I think ESB should rapidly evolve into a structure that, as a professional association where projects needed by the sector are developed, will contribute to the development of the sector and sign studies and projects to create a safer virtual environment for users. Since the development of the sector can only be possible by increasing users' trust in the internet environment, we all have great duties in this regard, both you as sector representatives and us as the regulatory institution on behalf of the public. In this scope, the issue of taking precautionary measures to block alternative access routes to internet publications subject to access blocking decisions, which the lawmaker has imposed on access providers under Law No. 5651, is of vital importance. I would like to emphasize that urgent studies are needed regarding various alternative access methods, primarily anonymous VPNs by all Internet service providers, and internet addresses using the 'https' protocol, which is one of the biggest handicaps in combating crimes committed through publications in the internet environment," concluding his speech.