'Turkey making investments to protect its data'

BURSA, Turkey

Turkey is making necessary investments to protect its data within the country, said participants at a major economic conference on Saturday.

"We will save every single byte of our data as we save every handful of our land," Ali Taha Koc, head of the Presidential Digital Transformation Office, told the 8th Uludag Economy Summit in Bursa, northwestern Turkey.

This valuable Turkish data could be turned into a weapon, and even NATO sees cyber security as critical, he added.

Data is the most important thing for artificial intelligence (Al), Koc stressed.

He added: "Turkey should take part in the future of Al, as in the future AI will touch everywhere.

"We will prepare our first AI strategy document by the end of 2019 with the help of our ministries," he said.

Data sharing and 5G

Koc highlighted that public institutions will have a data-sharing standard and Turkey will provide an open-door policy for data usage.

"For example, if the Health Ministry wants to make cardiac disease investment somewhere, it should know the cardiac disease statistics and risks there," he noted.

He also said: "Big technology brands are established in countries, which provide digital transformation. Turkey should provide digital transformation."

Omer Fatih Sayan, the deputy transport and infrastructure minister, also said that Turkey is making necessary investments to keep Turkey's data safe within the country.

"With indigenous and national technology, we’re working to reach the best position in transportation and communication by 2023," Turkey’s centennial, he underlined.

Asked about 5G technology, Sayan said it will take communication into a new era.

"We set 5G test valleys at our leading universities. Frequencies to be used for 5G will be determined this year. In 2020, the first trial of commercial use of 5G will be done," he said.

The two-day Uludag Economy Summit, which started on Friday, focuses on industry, trade, manufacturing, finance, energy, agriculture and technology.

The summit attracts businesspeople, economists, top officials and academics from Turkey and around the world.