The recent closure of Gazete Duvar triggered a new series of criticisms towards Google’s search engine algorithm changes. Below is a curation of news on this topic ending with a comparative angle with other countries. My approach to Google has turned relatively sour recently, but I still don’t believe the platform itself is the only … Read more
As Turkey’s first Digital Print Library, the mission of Gravur Dunyasi Digital Print Library is to provide a comprehensive cultural service by creating a visual database which preserves cultural heritage, primarily those related to our geography, through archiving, documenting and labelling all of the prints available in the Library both in Turkish and English. For … Read more
A leading Turkish fact-checking organization, Teyit, sent a letter to followers signed by its founder, Mehmet Atakan Foça. Translated by DeepL Dear Erkan In the Age of Pinocchios, it is getting harder and harder to access accurate information. Information that is polluted, distorted, hollowed out and turned into a partisan tool for political and economic … Read more
This report is part of Data Narratives, a Civic Media Observatory project that aims to identify and understand the discourse on data used for governance, control, and policy in El Salvador, Brazil, Turkey, Sudan, and India. Read more about the project here and see our public dataset. Access the Artificial Intelligence Narratives report in PDF Turkey In Turkey, hype … Read more
The video is in Turkish, but here are key timestamps linked to significant moments in the video: 00:00:01 – Introduction to Esat Kocadağ and the Origin of Espressolab 00:00:32 – Esat’s Early Journey and Connection to Coffee 00:01:35 – Opening the First Espressolab Store 00:04:30 – Transition from Hobby to Business Expansion 00:06:20 – International … Read more
This is a video in Turkish, but thanks to AI, you can easily get the transcription! I was busy with other projects and could not focus on SosyalKafa. But here comes a majestic return (!). Here are the key timestamps from the video “M. Remzi Sanverle Masonluk Hakkında Her Şey”: Introduction and importance of the … Read more
Since fixing social decline is harder, they chose the easiest option. They could not stop leaking the data they collected from citizens. Censorship! Now i will have to find a new venue for my classes’ communications and use VPN to reach many AI companies’ servers there. Yes, Turkey has banned access to Discord[1][2][3]. The ban … Read more
Turkey has admitted that a massive data breach occurred, exposing the personal information of millions of citizens. Here are the key details: Scale of the Data Breach Personal data of 108 million Turkish citizens was stolen[1][2][3]. The stolen data included identity numbers, home addresses, phone numbers, and other sensitive information[1][2]. Specifically, the breach exposed: 108,571,832 … Read more
While enjoying my first days in Detroit, I heard that Instagram is banned. Meta should be in a dilemma. It happened before; it will happen again. Some countries label some organizations as terrorists, some not. The platform has to make decisions… Here is the story: Turkey has blocked access to Instagram following a controversy over … Read more
Whattpad is one of the platforms I never used. But I know it is especially popular with some segments of society. Lack of clear reasoning adds salt to the insult—another shameful act. Wattpad has been banned in Turkey. Here are the key details about this ban: Timing and Authority: The ban was implemented on July … Read more
The very first post archived here I came back to Istanbul for the fieldwork in 2004. Chris Kelty recommended blogging as a research tool. He set up the first blog at frazer.rice.edu, which does not exist now. I defended my thesis in 2009. However, I kept blogging. It has become a life-long project and a … Read more
The video is in Turkish but a long summary is provided below: Remembering the Circassian Genocide and Exile on its 160th Anniversary with Elbruz Aksoy – Video Summary Speaker: Elbruz Aksoy Guest: Elbruz Aksoy Subject: Circassian Genocide and Exile Historical Background of the Circassian Genocide and Exile 160 Years of Diaspora:** New terminology of the … Read more
Academic Informatics conferences were led by “the father of Turkish Internet,” Mustafa Akgül. After his death in 2017, the annual conferences stopped after 2019. I was happy to hear that the meetings would start again. A few days ago, I participated in one of the AI and Social Life panels at Istanbul University. Here is … Read more
It is in Turkish but a detailed summary here: “Exploring Free Software and Artificial Intelligence with Orkut Murat Yılmaz Detailed Summary for Kendi bilgisayarımda çalışan yapay zekâ by Merlin Video Title: Exploring Free Software and Artificial Intelligence with Orkut Murat Yılmaz 00:04 Orkut Murat Yılmaz is a free software developer and will present about the … Read more
A few days ago, I and Sinem reviewed the world of digital communications in our way. Here is a summary of what we talked in English: Short Summary for 2023 Teknolojik Trendler Z Raporu by Merlin The video is discussing the technological trends for 2023, focusing on generative artificial intelligence and its impact. … Read more