Data is a valuable intangible asset and with the rapid development of the digital environment, legislative changes have meant that organisations need to be increasingly careful over how they handle data and how they make that data available to others. For businesses and organisations operating via Turkey, this issue is complicated as data protection is not governed by a single law in Turkey.

Our lawyers guide clients on the legal framework applicable to their specific data protection issues. The client portfolio is diverse and includes banks, finance companies, representative offices, insurance companies, franchise operations, businesses competing in the manufacturing, service, retail and intermediary sectors. To learn more about the practice group we recommend interested parties contact the relevant person below:

The range of issues facing clients include:

• Sector-specific data protection rights and obligations under Turkish law
• Collection, processing, storage and distribution of individuals’ data
• Notification of data collection, individual’s choice and access to data
• Onward transfer of data, both within Turkey and internationally
• Applicability of the EU-US Safe Harbour in Turkey
• Best practice for handling personal and sensitive data
• Contractual obligations, protection and assurances
• Mandatory disclosures required by the regulatory authorities
• Legislation governing the requesting, granting, use and protection of trade, bank and customer secrets 
• Security breaches and the contractual implications for vendor, client and employee relationships
• Anti-money laundering and protection of personal data
• Regulatory barriers concerning marketing, particularly telemarketing and via the interest
• Development of privacy strategies and policies
• Employee data protection policies and procedures
• Storage and transfer of personal data of employees
• Information security

Related Links

Publications

Employee Data Privacy 2010 EMEA Project