The Public Informatics Summit was held in a digital environment due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The Public Informatics Summit brought together the technology world in a digital environment this time. Due to the coronavirus, the online program was attended by Dr. Ali Taha Koç, Head of the Presidency Digital Transformation Office, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu, Deputy Minister Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, and Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, President of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority.
In his speech, Deputy Minister Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan mentioned that they had implemented many measures for the electronic communications and postal sectors since the first days of the outbreak. Drawing attention to the increase in internet usage during the pandemic process, Sayan said, "When comparing the data from the last three-month period, fixed broadband usage increased by approximately 20% compared to the previous period, while mobile data usage increased by 5.7%. We are pleased that no disruptions occurred during this process thanks to the measures we took and our real-time monitoring."
Sayan stated that the National Cyber Incident Response Team (USOM) had conducted intensive work during this process, and that a threat intelligence report related to COVID-19 was published through the SOME Communication Platform, with information on 569 malicious software shared through the examination of 42 malicious software samples. Sayan noted that 146 fake conference applications were detected during this process and the necessary actions were taken, adding, "Remote management services were scanned, detecting 7,816 vulnerabilities, and the relevant public institutions and organizations were warned accordingly. 482 malicious droppers and command-and-control centers related to COVID-19 were blocked. Scans targeting domain names related to COVID-19 continue to be conducted using artificial intelligence."
Sayan emphasized that they strived to provide uninterrupted services to operators and the public with many measures taken, saying, "We will continue to actively utilize the opportunities offered by digital transformation."
President Karagözoğlu: Virtual Environment Gained More Importance During the Pandemic Process
Information Technologies and Communication Authority President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu also touched upon the work they carried out during the COVID-19 process and underlined the importance of activities that would advance the country in the technology race. Emphasizing that the virtual environment gained even more importance during this period, Karagözoğlu said, “As we all know, virtually provided education and training programs became inevitable for students during this process. Considering that the education system cannot continue in-person for a while longer, many universities and schools decided to complete the remainder of the semester with online learning. Our institution conducted studies for young people in the software field under BTK Academy and directed students to use this service to make the process more efficient. Like other countries, infrastructure strengthening efforts continue in our country to ensure that all children continue learning from home and have access to the necessary opportunities. Through coordination with operators by our institution, free additional internet campaigns were organized to minimize potential impacts during this process. The education system not only changed students but also the teachers providing content and the administrators organizing it, directing them to adapt to changing teaching techniques. It should not be forgotten that countries and schools that can keep up with this transformation in the education system will be one step ahead in the next process,” he stated.