Personal Data Protection Law is a branch of law that aims to process personal data of individuals in a secure manner within the framework of the procedures and principles determined by law. The main objective in this field is to protect persons, not data. Today, informatics, information, communication, computer, data processing and surveillance technologies are developing rapidly. This digitalisation has increased the collection of personal data and strained privacy areas. Therefore, personal data protection law has become an important issue.
Personal data protection law is a new field with a unique terminology and close relations with other disciplines. This branch of law covers all kinds of personal values, whether economic, corporeal, material, intangible or immaterial. Regulations have been made in this field in order to protect the privacy of individuals and prevent data breaches.
The right to protection of personal data has been studied for many years in European countries and was protected by the Constitution in 2010 in Turkey. Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data (KVKK), which entered into force in 2016, regulates the procedures and principles in the processing of personal data. This law aims to prevent the unauthorised recording, sharing or use of personal data.
The law on the protection of personal data includes a broad concept related to both economic, tangible and intangible personal values. Therefore, a holistic approach should be adopted rather than sharp distinctions. The protection of personal data is a fundamental requirement for the realisation of human rights and freedoms. Experts working in this field play an important role in protecting the rights of individuals by applying data protection law