May 13, 2016
BTK (Information Technologies and Communication Authority) President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan was a guest on NTV's "NTV Money Countdown" program broadcast on May 13, 2016, at 12:30. He discussed topics of interest such as 4.5G, 5G, Cybersecurity, and Internet Security. Sayan provided advice to young people in particular on these subjects.
Emphasizing the need to use licensed programs on our mobile phones and computers, BTK President Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan stated: "Whether on our computers or mobile phones, only one of the three is secure, and even that one is secure only if we take the necessary precautions and perform updates. When we talk about the security of both our computers and mobile phones, cybersecurity comes to the agenda. Cybersecurity is a topic that must be addressed holistically. When we say holistically, it means that communication infrastructure providers, service providers, hardware manufacturers, and software producers must all provide this security in an integrated manner. The most important thing is that we must use licensed programs. When our operating system and other programs are unlicensed, they become computers and mobile phones open to all kinds of dangers. To ensure the security of mobile phones, we need to download secure applications and applications with security certificates. We need to use and download the latest and updated versions of operating systems, but there is no such thing as absolute security. Millions of dollars are spent on security, but leaks occur everywhere, and systems can be compromised. To be more secure, we need to protect ourselves through the methods I mentioned."
Stating that our country is one of the top 10 countries most targeted by cyberattacks, Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan provided the following details on the matter: "Attacks are carried out by enslaved computers, meaning computers hijacked by others. Unlicensed, unprotected computers in our country from other countries are essentially hijacked, and attacks are launched from them to other places. The direct and indirect damage from cyberattacks worldwide is 400 billion dollars."
All correspondences on the internet and phones, as well as all sites visited, are recorded, and this information will almost never disappear for a lifetime, said Dr. Sayan, giving the following advice to young people on the topic: "It is almost impossible to erase the past. Even if it's not saved on your device, it's saved on the recipient's side. Especially large companies are coming to the forefront with the big data concept and Industry 4.0; social media platforms provide information to companies about what you like most, derived from the tweets and shares you post. Even the finger movements you make while using your mobile phone can be recorded as meaningful data by the people who make the application. For this reason, young people should use the internet very securely. We can think of the internet like a river. You can benefit from the river's water and its positive effects, but if the river is used differently, it can cause floods and harm the surroundings. If we use the beneficial aspects of the internet like the water in the river, we benefit, but we need to take precautions against its harmful aspects. Therefore, they should not install software from unknown sources on their phones or computers. If they don't know where an email or SMS comes from, they shouldn't open emails because they might contain malicious software. Do not perform the phone rooting (jailbreak) process just to use free programs. This way, you allow others to access your phone.
Explaining that 10 million people are using 4.5G as of today and 18 million mobile phones have become compatible with 4.5G, Sayan said: "I can guarantee that we will be one of the first countries to use 5G. Actually, the standards for 5G are just being formed. The standards to be used in 5G will be clearly determined in 2019. Other countries will start using 5G in 2020 and beyond according to international standards. With the tender we conducted, we have enabled our operators to use 5G as soon as the technology is standardized."
Dr. Sayan also provided detailed information on unwanted SMSs. Sayan: "This is a comprehensive topic. Although it is thought that the entire matter is under BTK's purview, we have three major operators that operate under BTK's licensing and authorization. However, besides these three major operators, there are 270 operators, and you can receive SMS from all 270 different operators. The authority to regulate unauthorized SMSs related to the communications sector, telephone, internet, etc., lies with BTK. For general commercial matters, how unauthorized SMSs will be handled is specified in the e-commerce law, and the determining authority is specified there. A serious regulation has been made.
Recently, in a speech to operators, I tried to make them count: 'Dear ones, let's see how many operators you know.' Almost half of them have nearly zero revenue. They have obtained authorization documents thinking that they might do business tomorrow or the next day, that getting a license might become harder, etc. We have conducted a study regarding these 270 operators, keeping those that are not operating and those that are truly operating and fulfilling their responsibilities, while requiring others to be licensed when they intend to operate. Regarding commercial SMSs, the situation is this: you receive from known companies anyway, with Mernis number, so you know who it's from, and if you don't want to receive this message, you get an SMS saying 'send to this number for free.' The content of this SMS includes the following: free of charge—look, there are two things here. One is officially compliant with the application specified in the e-commerce law issued by the Ministry of Customs and Trade, and harmless SMSs that we designate as such. When you really write 'I don't want this SMS,' the SMS goes, and the sender company removes you from the list. Our main problem is with SMSs from unknown sources that only show the number.
A four-digit code we call the BTK code will appear, so you will know which operator sent you the SMS. The Ministry of Customs and Trade will impose the necessary penalties through that operator. The problem here is not knowing who to apply the penalty to. If we allow the operator to look at the message content, the operator would have access to all your personal information. We need to prevent that. No one looks at your SMS or anyone else's SMS, not even the sender. Thus, it is impossible to know whether an SMS sent to you is authorized or unauthorized without looking at its content. For this reason, who sent it, the time, date, and which operator it came from will be visible to you. You will make your complaint with this number, and I think it will decrease much more from now on. Whether this will completely stop is like the junk email example; for years, all companies worldwide have been trying to prevent junk emails and develop systems, but junk filters always fill up for all of us. We have made the regulation for this as well. We think and hope it will bring the best benefit."