The Personal Data Protection Board (“Board”) rendered a decision dated 20.04.2020 and numbered 2021/389 (“Decision”)regarding an insurance company (“Data Controller”), based on the fact that the insurance company provided its services with the condition of explicit consent.

It was announced that the “Guideline to Privacy in Digital Games” (“The Guideline”) drafted by the Information Technologies and Communications Authority (“Authority”) was published on the official website of the Authority on 01.06.2021. The guideline provides information on the current state of digital games, what digital privacy is, how to protect against threats in digital games, threats in online games, and what cyberbullying is. Some of the key issues organized by the Guideline are as follows:

The Draft Regulation on Remote Identification Methods and Establishment of Contractual Relations in Electronic Environment to be Used by Financial Leasing, Factoring, Financing and Saving Financing Companies, ("Draft Regulation") has been drafted by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (“Authority).  The Draft Regulation has been published on the official website of the Authority on 07.05.2021.

The Report on “Competition and Data Protection in Digital Markets: a joint statement between the CMA and the ICO” (“the Report”) has been published by UK Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) on 19.05.2021. The Report sets out how to enhance the synergies between the policy agendas and, where to identify the potential for tensions, explains how to address them.

Within the framework of the Regulation on the Amendment of the Regulation on Measures Regarding Prevention of Laundering Proceeds of Crime and Financing of Terrorism which entered into force through the Presidential Decision dated 30.04.2021 and numbered 3941 published in the Official Gazette dated 01.05.2021 and numbered 31471, the crypto asset service providers have been specified among the “Obliged Parties” stated under the Regulation on Measures Regarding Prevention of Laundering Proceeds of Crime and Financing of Terrorism (“Regulation”).

Influencers also known as social media celebrities are people who have large number of followers on social media and have the capacity to influence this audience and thus have the effect of changing the purchasing decisions of their followers. Viral marketing method is mostly made by the "Influencer". However, in advertising activities, it is especially necessary to act in accordance with the competition law and to comply with the newly introduced tax regulation. Some of legal regulations regarding advertising and marketing activities carried out through influencers are as follows:

The Regulation on the Amendment of the Regulation on Measures Regarding Prevention of Laundering Proceeds of Crime and Financing of Terrorism (“Amending Regulation”) entered into force through the Presidential Decision dated 30.04.2021 and numbered 3941 published in the Official Gazette dated 01.05.2021 and numbered 31471.

The Regulation on Active Co-Operation for Discovery of Cartels, ("Leniency Regulation") has been published in the Official Gazette dated 15.02.2009 and numbered 21142. The purpose of the regulation is to regulate the procedures and principles regarding the prevention of the imposed fines specified in the Law No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition ("Law"), or the reduction of penalties to be imposed to the undertakings, and the directors and employees of the undertakings who are actively cooperating with the Competition Authority ("Authority") in order to reveal the cartels prohibited by Law.

It was decided through the Presidential Decision dated 19.03.2021 and numbered 3718 published in the Official Gazette dated 20.03.2021 and numbered 31429, that the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (“Istanbul Convention”) be terminated for the Republic of Turkey.

The period for the prohibition of employment contract termination due to Covid-19 pandemic is extended through the Presidential Decision dated 29.04.2021 and numbered 3930 (“Decision no. 3930”) published in the Official Gazette dated 30.04.2021 and numbered 31470, starting from 17.05.2021 until 30.06.2021, within the frame of the provisional article 10 of the Labour Act no. 4857 (“Labour Law”).