With the increase of technological developments, online platforms are among the indispensable part of our lives. The digital revolution reflects that social media platforms, where people devote a large number of their daily lives, have begun to form the basis of socialization. Increasing usage rates of these platforms lead to the necessity for regulation in this context. Parallel steps with the European Union were taken in Turkey with Law No. 7253, known as the Social Media Law, which entered into force on July 31, 2020.

The European Commission ("Commission"), on the other hand, is rapidly continuing its regulatory activities. On 15 December 2020, the Commission published the Draft Digital Markets Act ("DMA"), which aims to impose new responsibilities on the giant online platforms it calls gatekeepers, and the Draft Digital Services Act ("DSA"), which concerns all online platforms.

On 25 May, in the symposium titled “Turkey's New Social Media Law and Regulation of Digital Platforms,” partner Şahin Ardıyok made his presentation under the topic of “EU's Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act and implications for Turkey.” He primarily addresses regulation against increasingly powerful digital platforms with the scope of DMA and DSA. Furthermore, he evaluates the adaptation process of the relevant regulations issued by the Commission to Turkish law. The seminar session lasted around 4 hours with an in-depth competitive analysis of Turkey's new social media law and the exhibition of different perspectives on regulations of digital platforms. 

About Balcıoğlu Selçuk Ardıyok Keki

Balcıoğlu Selçuk Ardıyok Keki Attorney Partnership is an Istanbul-based full service law firm with a team of 130+ lawyers and economists. Our practice focuses on a wide range of areas including real estate, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, banking, project finance, capital markets, competition and anti-trust, employment, litigation and arbitration, telecommunication, regulatory and public law and intellectual property. We represent and advise Turkish and multinational clients, including Fortune 500 companies, in the banking and finance, private equity, real estate, manufacturing, hospitality and leisure, retail, automotive, energy, information technology, life sciences, luxury fashion and beauty, and media sectors.