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Turkish plans to use IDs for accessing the Internet

10 October, 2012
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This article is also available in:
Deutsch: Türkei plant eindeutige Identifizierung beim Zugang zum Internet


The party in power has been dreaming of following and blacklisting Internet users for a long time by making it obligatory to enter ID number and a password to access the Internet. Such applications are already in force in countries like China, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and Iran. However, the projects violating privacy are not even put on the agenda in the USA and European countries where people do not have to carry or submit their ID cards.

This project was first shared by Rıfat Sait, Izmir Deputy of AKP (The Party of Development and Justice). He said he would submit a law proposal on the “increase of Internet crimes” and obligation of ID number/password.

Afterwards, we were informed that a commission had been established under General Directorate of Security upon the instruction of the Prime Minister. This commission is said to be working on a similar plan which would treat all citizens as if they were potential criminals with the purpose of “preventing cyber-crimes”.

The commission’s “Draft Law on the Regulation of Informatics Network Services and Informatics Crime” includes other grave proposals: - to establish “Internet Monitoring Center”, which had been put on the agenda five years ago but then suspended, under TIB (Telecommunications and Communications Commission) in order to monitor and audit the entire Internet medium; - to make it mandatory for service and hosting providers to keep their records for five years, which would mean a further violation of privacy; to oblige “service providers” to intervene in “unfavorable” broadcasting; - to make heavier punishments of hacking.

The proposal that crowns this draft law is “to make it obligatory to enter a password accessing the Internet so that all the operations of Internet users can be recorded”.

Sezgin Tanrıkulu, Istanbul Deputy of CHP (The Republican People’s Party) shared the demand of the General Directorate of Security in the Parliament. This demand aims to prevent informatics crime by making it obligatory to enter a password and ID number in accessing Internet. He also submitted a parliamentary question including rightful detections targeting the Minister of Interior.

This draft law, which openly violates privacy, private life and the right to be anonymous and institutionalizes the censor on the Internet in a way to eliminate the freedom of expression, information and press, conflicts not only with our Constitution but also with the related regulations of the European Union.

The present article is chapter 2 of the "What has happened on the Internet in Turkey in 2012? “Progress Report”” prepared by Alternative Informatics Association (28.09.2012)
https://yenimedya.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/what-has-happened-on-the-in...

ID number and password to be entered to use the Internet (only in Turkish)
http://www.ntvturk.com/ntv-teknoloji/10958-internete-tc-kimlik-numaras...

The Parliament brought the Internet identification number (only in Turkish, 4.08.2012)
http://www.yurtgazetesi.com.tr/teknoloji-ve-bilim/chp-kimlik-numarali-...

(Contribution by EDRi-observer Alternative Communication Association - Turkey)

 

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