In reaction to the Cambridge Analytica controversy, Facebook has recently announced a substantial tightening of access restrictions to the APIs of Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms it owns. Researchers at leading international research organisations are deeply concerned about collateral impacts of the new API access rules. Here is why.

Remembering Mustafa Akgül

Melih Kırlıdoğ, North-West University

PUBLISHED ON: 18 Dec 2017

Mustafa Akgül of Bilkent University passed away on 13 December 2017 after a long battle with cancer. Commonly regarded as the "father of the internet in Turkey," he was one of the most important figures in establishing the first internet connection in Turkey on 12 April 1993.

The importance of personal data for the digital economy accentuates a problematic information asymmetry between consumers and the data-driven market players. An increased consumer protection would have to deal with the lack of transparency of this black-box setup and a flawed use of consent as regulatory model. The consumer protection needs to be improved in practice, in its implementation, not only in its policy.