Turk Internet: How can we catch the technologic development?
Sylvia Kierkegaard: Then you have to have a lot of items, what we call you have to have technology utile in your language of law. So that it will encompass future technologies and developments. And in fact it is great importance for lawyers, like Turkish lawyers but I can’t address them all, we should constantly for example engage international dialogue, not only with lawyers but even with technology experts, so that they can proceed to the development of what’s going on.
Turk Internet: Actually we are at the technologic expert side, we are not lawyers.
Sylvia Kierkegaard: And that’s why it is very important. Your work is very important. And I would recommend lawyers in Ankara to really contact you so that you can work together with your forum or any other institutions that are on the technology side in Ankara.
Turk Internet: Do you work with any NGO’s?
Sylvia Kierkegaard: No, we have in fact high participation in Turkey. For example I come here every two years for the Ankara bar congress. And of course I get quite a number of papers, academic papers, coming from Turkish members of the academic community.
Turk Internet: I see. Could you tell us something about Turkey or general issues as an advice?
Sylvia Kierkegaard: I am not really that familiar with Turkish legislation but I can tell you what also I said in a previous interview: I think in Turkey, you need to really look into the matter.
You know, it might be rather controversial what I am going to say, so I should rather be, have to be very very more particular about what I am going to say, so that I would not bring any problems.
There must be some sort of a definition of a limit. For example about what the government can do, and the rights for example of a private citizen, right? You should be able to find the notion of a public security. When is the government, for example allowed to use the concept of public security for example to get the data of a citizen? That’s an issue right?
Secondly, another problem that I’ve seen in Turkey is about the low consumer protection. It seems that a lot of consumers here are having difficulty recognizing their rights and it seems your government or future governments are slow in responding to lead the way keeping touch with the consumers. It is not only an issue in Turkey in but many other countries.
For example as a consumer if I have to complain about certain abuses in Internet where do I go as a Turkish citizen? How is my right going to be protected? Am I going to go to the police? Do I get a legal assistance? These are the questions that are unknown.
Turk Internet: We also don’t know.
Sylvia Kierkegaard: And these are the things that I think the consumer in Turkey should be able to bind together. You need a strong consumer group that can actually come and say “We need consumer protection. We need to know our rights. We need our rights to be protected,” because if the consumers do not bind together as a group, they would not be able to defend their actual rights.
Turk Internet: I see. Thank you for your time.
Sylvia Kierkegaard: You’re welcome.
