Among the most discussed topics of recent days are social media applications and personal data security. Experts state that WhatsApp has actually been using user data, and the contract recently presented to users aims to put the application on a legal footing. Experts, also pointing out the precautions to be taken when using such applications, emphasize that personal information should not be shared. Experts warn that the real danger lies not just in obtaining location data and visuals, but in the collection of unique biological data such as voice…
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Institute of Science Deputy Director, Director of Distance Education Application and Research Center (ÜSUZEM), Assistant Professor Nuri Bingöl, made evaluations regarding social media applications and the privacy of personal data, which have been frequently discussed in recent days.
Assistant Professor Nuri Bingöl: “WhatsApp was already using data”
Noting that the WhatsApp application had previously used personal data but this time presented a contract, Assistant Professor Nuri Bingöl said, “You use the location application. You send location information via WhatsApp to the other party. Although the data you send to the other party goes end-to-end encrypted, WhatsApp can still use it. It is also possible for them to use it for their own benefit. This is where the problem arises. WhatsApp was already using our data. Now, they have sent a contract saying, ‘Give me permission, I’m already using this data. Now I will use it more openly and clearly.’”
Assistant Professor Nuri Bingöl: “WhatsApp wants to put its application on a legal footing”
Stating that WhatsApp wants to put its application on a legal footing with this contract, Assistant Professor Nuri Bingöl said, “It wants to establish a legal framework for itself and sell this data to third-party companies. It used to use them for its own companies, Facebook and Instagram applications. The purpose of using these was commercial. Marketing and advertising were involved. Now it will be able to sell them to third parties, to governments. Especially by the governments of many states, like America, artificial intelligence applications are already being used for certain terrorist incidents. Therefore, this personal information can be provided to them. Moreover, it was already expected for a company with a tarnished record like Facebook to do this. However, by placing it on a legal ground, in case of a potential future trial, they will be able to present it to the court by saying, ‘I used your data. You had accepted my contract, this is evidence.’”
Stating that users do not feel safe due to the said contract, Bingöl said that many users have switched to alternative applications because of the contract. He pointed out that an exodus has begun.
Assistant Professor Nuri Bingöl: “WhatsApp’s contract is a double standard”
Stating that WhatsApp's application of this contract to our country is a double standard, Assistant Professor Nuri Bingöl said, “There is a different application for European countries and a different one for us. Many experts attribute the reason for this to the weakness of our legal framework, but that’s not it. The real reason is actually the European Union's high purchasing power, its being a better market, and the fact that they cannot give up on the European Union.”
Assistant Professor Nuri Bingöl: “They should have offices in Turkey”
Assistant Professor Nuri Bingöl stated that social media applications and platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube need to have offices in Turkey, saying, “The Digital Transformation Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey wanted these companies to open offices in Turkey. Consumer sites, including sales sites, have also started to open their offices here. Our biggest problem is that we cannot hold an organization without legal representation here accountable. If they want to do business in our country, they must have offices here and be subject to our laws.”
Assistant Professor Nuri Bingöl: “New opportunities may arise for domestic applications”
Assistant Professor Nuri Bingöl underlined that many challenges in this area could also create opportunities for the emergence of new domestic applications. Bingöl said, “We have also developed our applications, we have domestic applications, we have domestic companies. We can easily switch to applications. They had already been opened for use for a long time. There are platforms that have been tried, tested, are secure, and do not store or process certain data.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel: “The biggest danger is our voice being imitated”
Head of Software Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel, emphasized the importance of sharing personal data, pointing out that the most significant danger here is voice cloning. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel said:
“When WhatsApp is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is that it’s a platform for written communication. Text-based communication is primarily considered. But do you know what the real valuable thing is? There are applications based on evidence learning algorithms. Your voice sent via WhatsApp is unique. It is specific to you. With voice processing algorithms, it is unique to you. They can now create voice imitation algorithms. I am talking about an algorithm from a mobile application or an application that speaks with your voice tone. This is actually what poses the real danger. I’m talking about a unique piece of data belonging to us, rather than our texts or shared pictures, and that is voice data. In the background, they are taking your location information, your visuals, but on the other hand, they are also collecting valuable biological data specific to you, such as voice. By processing that data, these algorithms I mentioned will try to learn your voice and create an algorithm that speaks like you, evokes emotion like you, expresses itself like you, and whose voice tone matches yours. That’s the point of real danger we’ll reach. A data analysis via big data. WhatsApp says, ‘I provide this data to Facebook.’ I don’t even have Facebook. It won’t be providing it to you, but to a big data system. That will also be a matter with big question marks for the future.”
Stating that WhatsApp does not impose such a dictate on European Union countries, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel said, “European Union countries are not signing this text. This is an imposition on developing countries.”
Stating that in an end-to-end encryption system, a message sent to the other party can only be opened by that party, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel said, “Since data is transferred in between, no source can access the message you send. This could be voice data or image data. No one can access it. There is encryption between the sender and the receiver, it works with a decryption algorithm, and actually guarantees the security of the data.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel: “Attention should be paid to individual security”
Also addressing the points to be considered when using such applications, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel said, “Regardless of which application is used, the absolute priority is always the protection of your private information. In accordance with personal data protection, this information should not be shared. We will protect ourselves. Your unique data should not be on your computers and phones. Ensuring individual security and paying attention to what is stored on phones is important.”