Digital Transformation has caused significant changes in legal systems and brought new legal requirements. With the acceleration of technology, regulations have emerged requiring individuals and organisations to adapt. While digital law covers legal relations related to the creation and use of internet content and communication over the internet, issues such as the protection of personal data, regulation of cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence law and combating cybercrime are among the main elements of this field. The main purpose of the new legal requirements is to ensure that individuals and companies can act safely and in accordance with the law in the digital world, as well as to make legal processes suitable for digital transformation.
With the increase in digital transformation, issues such as electronic contracts, digital authentication, blockchain-based transaction security and artificial intelligence-supported decision mechanisms have been included in legal regulations. Traditional legal systems integrate with digital law to ensure security in the virtual environment. Although there is no definitive regulation in force globally yet, drafts such as the European Union Artificial Intelligence Regulation signal that the legal framework for the use of artificial intelligence will be established and that companies will soon have some obligations due to artificial intelligence and the digitalised world. Companies using artificial intelligence need to ensure compliance with issues such as transparency, accountability and data security.
The widespread use of cryptocurrencies has necessitated new legal regulations in the finance sector. New regulations are being made in Turkey and around the world regarding the legal status, taxation and supervision of crypto assets. Within the scope of the ‘Regulation on the Non-Use of Crypto Assets in Payments’ published in the Official Gazette dated 16 April 2021 and numbered 31456, the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey banned the use of crypto assets as payment instruments, but established a legal framework for their use as investment instruments. In addition, within the scope of Article 127 of the Turkish Commercial Code, it is being discussed whether cryptocurrencies should be accepted as capital for trading companies, and the Capital Markets Board is taking various steps to ensure the supervision of these assets.
With the digital transformation, the legal nature of electronic evidence is becoming increasingly important. New regulations under Article 199 of the Code of Civil Procedure and Article 134 of the Code of Criminal Procedure determine how electronic evidence will be evaluated in courts. WhatsApp messages, e-mails, digital signatures and camera recordings can be used as evidence in courts if they are obtained in accordance with the law.
Digital transformation has created radical changes in the field of law and necessitated the regulation of new legal requirements. Issues such as personal data protection, artificial intelligence law, cryptocurrency regulations, the use of electronic evidence and digital service tax have necessitated the updating of legal systems. In the future, innovations such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data analyses and the development of legal information technologies will bring about fundamental changes in the functioning of law. Digital law covers more and more areas, requiring companies to adapt to new norms in the digital world.
