The first Library Lunchtime Lecture of the semester took place on November 16 in the Library Art Gallery. The topic was “Privacy and Data Protection in the Digital Age,” which addressed the need for legal tools in protecting privacy and personal data in the digital age. The lecture was presented by Assoc. Prof. Hüseyin Can Aksoy of the Faculty of Law at Bilkent University.
Assoc. Prof. Aksoy started the lecture with the perspective that data is regarded as the new oil. He stated that it is not only invaluable for states in their endeavor to maintain national security and to prevent crimes, but also because enterprises rely on personal data to maximize their volume of business and profit. However, free and unlimited access to personal data constitutes a threat to data owners.
Throughout the presentation, Assoc. Prof. Aksoy focused not only on Turkish law but also on legal regulations from around the world. The role of Cambridge Analytica on the ABD 2016 Election and Amazon’s misogynist algorithm examples were remarkable. In the lecture, the benefits of algorithmic data usage on digital tools were underlined and algorithmic discrimination and bias were discussed in the scope of privacy and data protection. He concluded his talk by highlighting not only the need and legal mechanisms for protecting privacy and personal data in the digital age but also the importance of gaining self-awareness on personal data concepts.