Personal data protection through Criminal Law

Personal data is defined as any information related to an identified or identifiable natural person. In this respect, physical or characterical appearance, information concerning economic or healt conditions are accepted as personal data. This informations could be processed for various purposes by both private and public sectors. The main principles and the procedures about lawfulness of processing personal data have been regulated in Law no. 6698. In the case of a personal data breach, the controller and the processor will be responsible both criminally and administratively. Personal data protection in the concept of private life and privacy has been accepted as a judical interest to be protected in No. 5237 Turkish Criminal Law and sanctions listed under No.135., 136., 138. Processing of personal data as recording, collection, dissemination and not erasing unlawfully are criminal deeds regulated in Law no. 5237. In this way, the personal data have been protected by criminal law. The main propose of this paper is to contribute the academical studies of personal data protection in criminal law. Accordingly the study concieved to efficiency in practice and awareness in social life by means of international and national actual documents about personal data protection