The 81st Annual General Meeting of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (ICANN) was held at the Istanbul Congress Center, hosted by the Information Technologies and Communication Authority. The meeting addressed digitalization and social media statistics.
In his opening speech at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan provided information on the current state of digitalization and the internet, stating that the internet offers unimaginable opportunities from trade to health.
Noting that the number of fiber internet subscribers in Turkey has exceeded 7 million, Sayan said, "We are seeing annual growth rates of more than 20 percent. We know that in today's meeting, internet infrastructure, DNS, and IP addresses are of great importance in our lives."
Sayan stated that they manage domain names through TRABİS (.TR Network Information) under the BTK, recording that they have secured domain names with legal regulations, accelerated transfer processes, and conducted necessary studies to prevent abuses.
Expressing that ".tr" domain names will continue to increase and that Turkey will reach the position it deserves in domain name allocation, Sayan said they will continue with regulations in this area.
Sayan mentioned the regulations they have implemented regarding cybersecurity, stating, "We are committed to ensuring the cybersecurity of our citizens and safeguarding our digital sovereignty."
Deputy Minister Sayan: There Are More Than 5 Billion Social Media Users Today
Indicating that internet and social media usage is increasing every day according to statistics, Sayan said, "There are more than 5 billion social media users in the world today. Last year, more than 266 million new users joined the social media world. This data actually shows that 8.4 new users join social media worldwide every second. When looking globally, this is even double in Turkey. We see that the highest usage age range worldwide is between 16-24. The time we spend on social media and the internet has doubled in recent years."
Sayan stated that they manage domain names through TRABİS under the BTK and have secured these domains with legal regulations. He also touched on cybersecurity efforts and concluded his speech by expressing their determination to protect digital sovereignty.
President Karagözoğlu: ‘.tr’ Domain Names Approaching 1.3 Million
Information Technologies and Communication Authority President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu also spoke about the BTK's activities, stating that the authority to manage the allocation of ".tr" domain names, which had been handled by the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) since 1991, was transferred to the BTK in 2010.
Explaining that following the approval in 2019 of the joint application by ODTÜ and BTK to ICANN for the transfer, TRABİS (.TR Network Information System) was established under the BTK within this scope and became operational in 2022, Karagözoğlu said, "Under the policies supported by our Ministry, we granted authority to 19 registration entities to facilitate domain name operations. Before TRABİS, there were approximately 450,000 registered .tr domain names. Since TRABİS went live on September 14, 2022, this number has approached 1.3 million. We anticipate that the figure will multiply in the coming period. As BTK, we continue our work tirelessly with the awareness of the critical importance of internet infrastructure. We aimed to simplify and increase the number of domain names by following the 'first come, first served' principle in allocations, allowing .tr domain registrations online without the need for documentation."
President Karagözoğlu: More Than 400 Domain Name Disputes Resolved
President Karagözoğlu stated that they have established an alternative mechanism for resolving domain name disputes through arbitrators or arbitration boards for quick resolution, saying, "Since TRABİS became operational, more than 400 disputes have been resolved by three authorized dispute resolution service providers in approximately two years."
Speaking about the aims and objectives of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority, Karagözoğlu said, "In the future, our goal as BTK is to minimize potential problems, ensure that allocation processes are easy and secure, keep fees at reasonable levels, and increase the number of .tr domain names to achieve global accessibility."
Karagözoğlu noted that while evaluating the opportunities offered by the digital world, they prioritize digital security due to the risks it brings, and concluded his speech by mentioning the projects they have implemented and the measures they have taken in this area.