Glossary · compliance
KVKK (Turkish Data Protection Law)
Definition
KVKK (Personal Data Protection Law, 6698) is Turkey's personal data protection law (2016). Notice text + explicit consent + retention period + security measures are mandatory. All websites, mobile apps, CRMs must comply; violation fines range $3-67K.
Detailed explanation
Core concepts: Data controller (decides which data is processed for what), data processor (processes on behalf of controller), data subject (the individual). Based on Law 6698 + Authority decisions.
5 obligations: (1) Privacy notice (KVKK Article 10), (2) Explicit consent (Article 5), (3) VERBIS registration (50+ employees or $1M+ revenue), (4) Retention policy, (5) Security measures (HTTPS, encryption, RBAC, audit log).
Difference vs GDPR: Similar in structure but KVKK is Turkey-specific. Cross-border EU transfer needs extra mechanisms + Turkey-specific explicit consent format + lower fines than EU (KVKK $67K, GDPR 4% global revenue).
For websites: privacy notice + cookie banner (3+ categories) + form-based explicit consent + 12-month log retention + KVKK form (data subject request). New 2026: extra notice + PII redaction for sites using AI/LLM.
Use cases
→Website + mobile app compliance
→CRM + ERP + customer portal
→AI chatbot + LLM-using systems
→Healthcare + finance + education sector compliance
→Mandatory in B2B SaaS + enterprise sales
Pros
- +Legal compliance (audit safety)
- +Customer trust rises
- +Brand reputation protection
- +Enterprise requirement in B2B sales
Cons
- −Compliance cost ($1.7-7K consulting + dev)
- −VERBIS + audit log + retention management
- −Regulation evolves (Authority decisions)
- −High violation fines ($3-67K)
Related terms
Related services
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