In a cyberespionage operation coordinated by MİT and carried out by the Cybersecurity Directorate and the Gendarmerie General Command against Ankara-based Aydo Yazılım, which provides software to trade unions, 5 suspects, including the company’s owner and employees, were detained. Computers, phones and digital materials were seized during searches of homes and workplaces. MİT determined that the company had added a special query interface to software used by some trade unions, enabling access to information about third parties who were not members. Examinations found that identity and civil registry information could be accessed using a T.C. identity number from datasets previously leaked online, and that the database contained more extensive personal data as well as records of people under 18. Despite the “NVİ” designation in the system, it was determined that the data had not been obtained directly from the Population and Citizenship Affairs authority. The company was also found to provide consulting services under the name “Clock&Wise” on KVKK (Türkiye’s personal data protection law and authority). As the use of the system and the purposes for which the data was processed are examined, the investigation is expected to potentially expand with new findings.
Why it matters
Because software used for the operations of trade unions can become a channel for accessing personal data beyond its own user base, the development concerns not only the company and the trade unions that are its customers, but also people whose records are contained in the database. The presence of records belonging to people under 18 among the data shows that the group requiring examination is not limited to adults. The determination that the information was not obtained directly from this institution despite the NVİ designation in the system highlights the distinction between the data source and the impression created by the interface. The fact that the same company provides KVKK consulting services raises the question of how its data protection services align with the practices in its own software. The seized digital materials are central to the examination of how and for what purposes the system was used.
Background
MİT is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 2 news articles mentioning it in the last 90 days; the most recent was dated September 4, 2026.