Protection of personal data in the context of administrative law

Personal data has been of great importance in many periods of history, both in the private sector and in government institutions and organizations. Especially, developments in technology have facilitated the processes of obtaining, storing, and transferring personal data. Nowadays, personal data is frequently processed for various purposes. The increase in data processing activities, and the ease and diversification of data processing activities, also bring the risk of violating the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individuals to whom the data is related. Indeed, the protection of personal data aims to safeguard the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals whose personal data is processed, rather than just protecting the data itself. In this context, numerous regulations have been enacted internationally and nationally for the protection of personal data. In our country, the third paragraph of Article 20 of our Constitution and the Personal Data Protection Law No: 6698, which is the first special and comprehensive legal regulation on this matter, directly reflect the developments in the field of personal data protection in our legislation. In our study, firstly, the concept of personal data, its historical development, international regulations in this field, the nature of the right to personal data protection, the process of processing personal data under Law No. 6698, and the legal control system are discussed. Then, attention is drawn to the aspect of personal data processed within the scope of administrative law and administrative activities, and explanations are made regarding the protection of personal data through some examples of administrative activities. Keywords: Personal Data, Protection of Personal Data, Processing of Personal Data, Personal Data Protection Authority, Activities of the Administration.