International Symposium Organized by the Faculty of Law has come to an end
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Turkish-German Personal Data Protection Law International Symposium organized by Istanbul Ticaret University Faculty of Law was held with the participation of many academicians and researchers from Türkiye and Germany.
Istanbul Ticaret University Deputy Rector Prof. Dr. Abdulhamit Avşar made a speech at the opening ceremony of the Symposium. In his speech, Prof. Dr. Avşar stated that they were happy to host such an important event and said that the Symposium would make significant contributions to the field.
Deputy Rector Prof. Dr. Avşar stated that the issue of protection of personal data is a phenomenon that has always existed as long as humans have existed and that every society has developed a measure on this issue based on its own cultural and social codes. Pointing out that the concept of privacy is a phenomenon directly related to the confidentiality and security of personal data, Prof. Dr. Avşar has said: “Privacy, as a concept, envisages the confidentiality and protection of private life and information. Likewise, the concept of ‘intrusion’ aims to prevent private information from being disclosed without permission and to prevent information that is not intended to be disclosed by the owner from becoming an object of interest. These concepts have also been the subject of traditional law.”
Prof. Dr. Avşar continued his words as follows:
“In particular, the emergence and widespread use of mass media has brought about significant changes in the perspective on privacy. The fact that the private information of almost everyone, from ordinary citizens to public figures, has begun to be presented to the masses as an object of interest and used as material in many areas from entertainment to consumption has made it necessary for personal data to be protected by law.
The problem has become more complicated with the advances in information and communication technologies. In particular, the Internet, which is dynamic and distributed in nature, encompasses every aspect of our lives, making it difficult to protect personal data. So much so that even the information shared on social networks, which are presented to us as an entertainment and leisure option, has become the basis for the creation of personal data directly or through blending. Considering that these data are voluntarily created by us, who have become ‘prosumers’, and made available to data collectors, it will be better understood how complex the problem of personal data security has become.”
Prof. Dr. Avşar stated that we face another issue that oscillates between freedom and privacy, and that is the responsibility of the press to inform the public and the obligation to ensure the security of personal data. Prof. Dr. Avşar has said: “Therefore, in this context, it seems that the issue of where the limits of press freedom should begin and end and the privacy of a person’s private life will continue to be discussed as a difficult and complicated issue before the law.”
Underlining that it is pleasing to see that there is a significant awareness and sensitivity towards the protection of personal data all over the world, Deputy Rector Prof. Dr. Avşar said, “In this context, the importance of countries sharing their experiences with each other is increasing, and legal authorities and academies have important duties in this regard.”
Deputy Rector Prof. Dr. Avşar concluded his words by thanking the academicians of the Faculty of Law who organized the Symposium and the academicians who contributed to the Symposium.
After Prof. Dr. Avşar’s speech, the Symposium sessions started. Academicians from Augsburg University, namely Prof. Dr. Thomas M. J. Möllers, Prof. Dr. Martina Benecke, Prof. Dr. Michael Kort, Prof. Dr. Matthias Rossi, Prof. Dr. Benedikt Buchner, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erhan Temel, and academicians from Istanbul Ticaret University, namely, Dean of Istanbul Ticaret University Faculty of Law Prof. Dr. Asuman Yılmaz, Prof. Dr. Şahin Akıncı, Prof. Dr. Ali Cem Budak, Faculty Member Dr. M. Fatih Cengil, Faculty Member Dr. Buket Abanoz Öztürk, as well as Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mesut Serdar Çekin from the Turkish-German University each presented a paper.
