Turkish plans to use IDs for accessing the Internet

By EDRi · October 10, 2012

This article is also available in:
Deutsch: [Türkei plant eindeutige Identifizierung beim Zugang zum Internet | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.19_Tuerkei_plant_eindeutige_Identifizierung_beim_Zugang_zum_Internet?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20121010]

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)

What has happened on the Internet in Turkey in 2012?: “Progress Report””

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

The Parliament brought the Internet identification number (only in
Turkish, 4.08.2012)
http://www.yurtgazetesi.com.tr/teknoloji-ve-bilim/chp-kimlik-numarali-interneti-meclise-tasidi-h16504.html

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