Turkey is currently confronting networks involved in leaking and selling citizens’ data to entities that the government describes as “suspicious” and classified as “terrorist,” without specifying names. Authorities arrested nine individuals on Friday in a security operation coordinated by the National Intelligence Agency, bringing the issue of data protection back into focus for the second time after months of circulating and publishing data on Syrian refugees in Turkey.
The Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that the nine arrested individuals had stolen information from a technological institute and faced charges of cyber espionage and unlawfully obtaining personal data, according to Turkish media reports.
According to Turkish media, the espionage network, composed of nine members, was identified after security information was provided to the relevant authorities. The arrests began within the scope of an investigation led by the chief prosecutor’s office in Ankara, in a joint operation by the General Command of the Gendarmerie and the National Cyber Incident Response Center.
Following the arrest of the nine, authorities detained 11 more individuals pending investigation. Additionally, 18 websites managed by the espionage network members were shut down and blocked. The network members were also accused of selling the personal data they obtained to unspecified “terrorist” organizations.
Initial investigations revealed that these data were used by organized crime gangs to extort citizens, particularly targeting youth and children.
In mid-August, Turkish security agencies disclosed the arrest of a cyber-espionage network that had acquired data from thousands of people in several countries, including Turkey, according to official Turkish media. The Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office reached these findings as part of a previous investigation.
The state-run Anadolu News Agency reported that security sources stated that the General Command of the Gendarmerie and the National Cyber Incident Response Center conducted a joint operation against the cyber-espionage network, capturing 11 suspects in cooperation with the intelligence agency.
In addition to espionage and data sales, Turkey also occasionally faces digital fraud networks. Earlier in October, a Turkish fraud network consisting of 40 individuals collapsed following security raids. The network had amassed significant sums from its clients online in Turkey by deceiving them into believing in the existence of companies that were never real, according to Turkish sources, including NTV, which noted that this network managed to collect around 2.5 billion Turkish liras
