Türkiye presents Digital Sovereignty Strategy to Cybersecurity Board

Türkiye's Digital Sovereignty Strategy, aimed at strengthening the country's sovereignty in the digital sphere and reducing dependence on foreign technologies, was presented to the Cybersecurity Board on Tuesday, according to the country's Communications Directorate.

The board met under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and discussed the implications of global and regional geopolitical developments for the cybersecurity environment, as well as recent cybersecurity incidents worldwide and evolving threat dynamics, the directorate said in a statement.

The board was briefed on how developments in artificial intelligence are affecting the nature, scale, and speed of cyber threats.

It also assessed the effects and risks of algorithmic manipulation and cognitive influence activities carried out through digital platforms on national security and societal resilience.

The meeting stressed the importance of digital sovereignty for national security, identifying the protection of critical infrastructure, strengthening national cyber resilience and deterrence capabilities, and achieving technological independence as strategic priorities in Türkiye's security and development policies.

Against this backdrop, the strategy was presented to the board with the aim of "strengthening Türkiye's sovereignty in the digital sphere, reducing dependence on foreign sources in critical technologies, and developing national technology capacity," the statement said.

The board decided that measures taken in line with the strategy's objectives would be implemented by relevant institutions and organizations within their respective spheres, while implementation processes would be effectively monitored and progress regularly assessed.

The meeting also focused on strengthening interagency coordination, developing joint risk assessment capabilities, and ensuring consistency in implementation, given the ability of cyber threats to spread rapidly and affect multiple sectors simultaneously.

The board reaffirmed its commitment to deepening cooperation among public institutions, the private sector, and academia and developing a comprehensive cybersecurity ecosystem, the statement added.