The Communiqué on the Procedures and Principles Regarding the Personnel Certification Mechanism ("Communiqué") is published and entered into forced in the Official Gazette numbered 31681 and dated 06.12.2021 to determine the procedures and principles regarding the certification of Data Protection Officers by the Turkish Personal Data Protection Authority ("the Turkish DPA".)

The important regulations that draw attention in the Communique are as follows:

Pursuant to duplicated sub-article (B) of Article 298 of Tax Procedure Law, the revaluation rate has been published in the Official Gazette numbered 31672 and dated 27.11.2021. Revaluation rate announced in the rate of 36,20% (thirty-six commas twenty) for 2021.

The long-awaited China Personal Information Protection Law (hereinafter referred to as "Law") was passed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China on August 20, 2021, to enter into force on November 1, 2021. The law mainly regulates how personal data will be collected, used, processed, shared, and transferred abroad by companies operating in the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as "China"). The Law, which determines the legal framework in these areas, complements the local data protection regime previously established by the China Cybersecurity Law (hereinafter referred to as "CSL") and national regulations. When the current legal structure of China is examined, it is seen that the legal and technical measures regarding the protection of personal data and data security are implemented through various laws, secondary regulations, and guidelines containing compliance standards. Herein, the Law possesses the title of the first comprehensive and national level regulation regarding personal data. It is crucial as it contains various legally binding compliance standards rather than the guidelines and secondary regulations.

Planned amendments within the scope of the Personal Data Protection Law numbered 6698 are explained in the Section 6.7 of the Action Plan on Human Rights and Implementation Calendar, titled Protecting the Private Life in Processing of Personal Data, published in the Official Gazette dated April 30, 2021 and numbered 31470. Accordingly, Turkish Data Protection Law (KVKK), will be brought in conformity with European standards and regulations and parallel regulations to General Data Protection Regulation will enter to our lives. In addition, new regulations regarding the penalties imposed on data controllers by the Personal Data Protection Board are also included in the plan.

As known, it is a legal obligation as of 2018 for all responsible to become compliant with KVKK. Even though new regulations will enter our lives, companies that have been compliant with the general principles of KVKK before the relevant law amendment, will be able to adapt to the amendment of the law. Also, please note that there is still an obligation to comply with the Law and sanctions still continue within this scope.