🖥️🌿 TECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
Apple was subjected to a federal investigation in the US on the grounds that it deliberately disobeyed a court order and made a false statement during the court process. As a result of the lawsuit filed by Epic Games alleging that it violated competition by requiring its own payment system in the App Store, Apple was obliged to terminate this practice and allow developers to use alternative payment methods.
Apple and Meta were fined 500 million and 200 million € respectively by the European Union for breaching the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The Commission stated that Apple made developers dependent on the platform through the App Store, while Meta forced users to give consent to data sharing.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that 20 to 30 percent of the company’s code is now written by artificial intelligence. Speaking at the LlamaCon conference, Nadella emphasized that the transformation is still in its early stages and that managerial changes are also necessary for real efficiency.
Meta announced its new “Private Processing” technology, which aims to provide artificial intelligence features while protecting user privacy on WhatsApp. The system allows operations such as message summarisation and spelling suggestion to be performed without violating end-to-end encryption.
The International Maritime Organization reached an agreement on April 11, 2025, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime transport sector to net zero by 2050. The agreement sets incremental emission reduction targets for 2030 and 2040, envisions global standards and a certification system for clean marine fuels.
The European Data Protection Board published its annual activity report for 2024, highlighting key developments such as the adoption of the 2024-2027 strategy, increasing consistency opinions, and guidance work.
In the US, the administration of Trump has proposed cutting federal funding for renewable energy, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and climate change programs. The plan would end clean energy initiatives launched under the Biden administration and also includes significant cuts to the budgets of agencies such as the Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency.
The Irish Data Protection Commission determined that TikTok violated data transfer and transparency obligations, fining the company 530 million € and requiring it to comply with EU regulations within six months.
🏛️⚙️🌿 DEVELOPMENTS FROM PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS REGARDING TECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY
The Presidency of Communications has published the 171st, 172nd and 173rd issues of the Disinformation Bulletin. Accordingly, the allegations that Gazan refugees will be resettled in Turkey and that the parliament has been wiretapped do not reflect the truth.
The TBMM Artificial Intelligence Research Commission convened with the participation of Anadolu Agency and Interactive Advertising Association. At the meeting, where the effects of artificial intelligence in the fields of communication and art were discussed, the creation of a common Turkish data pool came to the agenda.
Minister of Trade Bolat discussed Turkey-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations and strategic co-operation in his meetings in Tokyo. Minister Bolat invited Japanese investors to invest in Turkey in areas such as energy, transport and agriculture.
Minister of Industry and Technology Kacır announced that they will introduce Turkey’s first artificial intelligence language model developed with Turkish data and that they will implement applications that will pave the way for domestic models in the field of artificial intelligence. Minister Kacır emphasized the goal of making Turkey one of the countries leading the artificial intelligence revolution with TÜBİTAK supports, “technopark” projects and supercomputer infrastructure.
At the Artificial Intelligence in Telecommunications Summit organized by ICTA, the 5G frequency tender to be held in 2025 and the transition to commercial use in 2026 were discussed. At the summit, it was stated that steps were taken to develop domestic 5G solutions and provide connectivity to rural areas through the 5GTR Forum.
The Personal Data Protection Authority published an e-book titled “An Academic Perspective on Artificial Intelligence Technologies,” which examines artificial intelligence and personal data protection from an academic standpoint. Prepared with contributions from expert academics, the book includes 15 articles across five chapters and has been made publicly available.
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır announced at the 10th Productivity Project Awards ceremony that 613 project applications had been submitted, setting a record for participation. The awards aim to raise awareness of productivity among businesses, disseminate best practices, and encourage knowledge sharing between institutions.
The Ministry of Trade has published its “Report on the State of E-Commerce in Turkey.” According to the report, Turkey’s e-commerce volume increased by 61.7% in 2024 compared to the previous year, exceeding 3 trillion ₺. The retail e-commerce volume increased by 63.7% to reach 1 trillion 619 billion ₺.
