📌 KEY LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Competition Authority decided to open an investigation and apply a temporary injunction against Sahibinden Bilgi Teknolojileri Pazarlama ve Ticaret A.Ş. for alleged violation of Article 6 of Law No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition.
The Ministry of Trade published the 2025/1 Circular titled “Goods Sent/Brought in Crisis Situations,” which sets forth procedures and principles regarding customs processes for international aid during disasters and emergencies. Accordingly, rules for customs procedures applied to aid materials in crisis situations are regulated.
The Advertising Board under the Ministry of Trade released the “2024 Advertising Board Report,” which serves as a guide containing examples on advertisement supervision, consumer rights, misleading commercial practices, and sectoral regulations.
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) was temporarily suspended for 180 days as of February 10, 2025, by a Presidential Decree. During this period, investigations and enforcement policies under FCPA will be reviewed, and no new investigations or enforcement actions will be initiated.
📜 OFFICIAL GAZETTE
The Constitutional Court’s decision dated October 24, 2024, numbered 2021/1719, published in the Official Gazette No. 32804 dated February 5, 2025, concerns the allegation that the right to a decision was violated due to the failure to rule on the substantive claim. The applicant filed a lawsuit at the Konya Administrative Court requesting annulment of the appointment from editorial staff to expert position. However, the court mistakenly considered the case as removal from the deputy mayor position and did not issue a decision on the applicant’s main claim. The Constitutional Court found that the applicant’s right to a decision and the right to a fair trial guaranteed under Article 36 of the Constitution were violated. Consequently, a retrial was ordered, and the applicant’s compensation claim was rejected.
🔒 DATA BREACH NOTIFICATIONS
Two personal data breach notifications made to the Personal Data Protection Board are summarized below:
➢ Organic Haberleşme Teknolojileri Bilişim Sanayi Ticaret Limited Şirketi notified the Board of a data breach detected on February 1, 2025, after receiving a message indicating data had been compromised. Affected groups are subscribers and members, with affected data including usernames, names, surnames, and contact information. The number of affected individuals is reported as 1,090.
➢ Afyon Kocatepe University notified the Board of a data breach starting and ending on January 20, 2025. Affected groups include employees, users, students, and customers. The affected personal data include Turkish ID numbers, institutional registry numbers, email addresses of continuous education center registrants, and visual and audio records used for remote education. Approximately 26,438 people were affected.
