Administrative liabilities of internet actors within Law No 5651

With the development of information technologies, the usage area of the Internet has expanded and the number of users has increased day by day, bringing innovations to almost every area of daily life. In addition to positive innovations, negative aspects such as easier crime through the Internet have also become a part of life. In 2007, in order to combat certain crimes committed through the Internet, Law No. 5651 on Regulation of Broadcasts via Internet and Combating Crimes Committed by Means of Such Publications was enacted. Although Law No. 5651 has been subject to criticism in its doctrine since it came into force, regulations in the field of Internet law have started with the adoption of the Law. Obligations and responsibilities of Internet actors as access providers, hosting providers, content providers and mass usage providers are regulated in the Law. With the amendment made on 27 July 2020, a social network provider was added to the Law as a new Internet actor in order to determine the responsibilities of social media platforms and to ensure that judicial decisions are fulfilled. With the amendment, many obligations have been imposed on the social network provider, especially the obligation to have a representative. In this study, mainly the administrative responsibility of Internet actors has been examined and their obligations have been explained one by one. On the other hand, in the study, criminal responsibilities of Internet actors were also mentioned, and legal responsibility was excluded from the study. The Law No. 5651 regulates the responsibilities of Internet actors as well as the sanctions to be applied in case of failure to fulfill their responsibilities. Finally, the administrative sanctions that will be applied in case of non-compliance with the obligations brought by the Law are given in detail in the study, and criminal and legal sanctions are excluded from the study.