Five people, including the owner of Ankara-based Aydo Yazılım software company, were detained in an operation over allegations that software developed for labor unions allowed access to personal information belonging to people who were not union members.
The operation was carried out by the Cybersecurity Presidency and the Gendarmerie General Command under the coordination of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT).
An investigation by MİT found that some union software developed by Aydo Yazılım contained a special search interface that enabled access to third-party personal data, according to a report by the state-run Anadolu Agency citing security sources.
Leaked data
Investigators determined that datasets previously leaked online from various sources could be searched through the system. Queries using Turkish national identification numbers provided access to identity and civil registry information.
Authorities also found that databases operating in the background contained a broader range of personal data, including records of people under 18.
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The search system was allegedly used to complete membership information when adding people to union databases. Investigators are examining how the larger pool of personal data was used.
Records stored on the company’s servers repeatedly included the abbreviation “NVİ,” apparently an acronym for "population and citizenship affairs," which appeared to suggest that the data originated from the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs. Technical examinations, however, found that the information had not been obtained directly from the directorate’s systems.
Public contracts
Investigators also found that Aydo Yazılım provided consultancy services to institutions and organizations under Turkey’s Personal Data Protection Law through a service called “Clock&Wise.” The company simultaneously operated union software that enabled searches of personal information, according to the investigation.
Authorities are examining which unions used the search system, the extent of its use and the purposes for which the retrieved data was processed. The investigation may be expanded based on evidence obtained from seized digital materials.
Aydo Yazılım lists several organizations as clients or partners on its website. They include Eğitim Bir-Sen, Diyanet-Sen, Eğitim-Sen, Eğitim-İş, the Health and Social Service Workers Union (SES), Tüm Bel-Sen, Türk Harb-İş and Sağlık-Sen.
The company says it provided services including membership, accounting and document-management systems, mobile applications and personal data protection consultancy to various unions. It also lists the Turkish Armed Forces Education Foundation for a dormitory automation system and the Sadri Alışık Cultural Center for a student tracking system.
Public procurement records show that the company also secured contracts from government institutions.
Trade Registry Gazette records show that Aydo Yazılım was established as a limited company in Ankara by Hakkı Doğan in 2015. A management change took place in 2026, when Doğan transferred all his shares to Harun Doğan on Aug 4. The company’s capital was raised to 2.73 million liras.
The Personal Data Protection Authority signed a contract with Aydo Yazılım for a procurement worth 1.884 million liras in 2024. The company also won another tender from the authority worth about 2.3 million liras in 2025.
Aydo Yazılım also secured a tender worth about 1 million liras in 2024 for software to track transfers of personal data abroad.
The company is additionally involved in a data security project in Germany in partnership with AIFORLIVES GmbH. (Mİ/VK)
