Presidency's Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun spoke at the "II. News Copyright and AI in Media Symposium," held at the ‘Albert Long Hall’ on Boğaziçi University's South Campus in cooperation with Anadolu Agency (AA) and Boğaziçi University and with the contributions of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
He expressed his pleasure and honour to be at the II. News Copyright and AI in Media Symposium, which was organised in cooperation with AA, one of the world's most deep-rooted news agencies, and Boğaziçi University, one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in the country, with the contributions of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Head of Communications Altun stated that they convened first and foremost to safeguard the rights and remedies associated with the information, news, and works produced in the media, along with the intellectual workers who create them.
Stating that their aims and objectives are clear, Head of Communications Altun remarked, "Preventing the use of authentic content created by reporters, journalists, and media members with great effort and dedication for commercial purposes free of charge. Preventing unfair competition that results from the use of content produced by broadcasters free of charge. Contributing to the creation of the necessary conditions for legislative initiatives to ensure the protection of the copyright of news articles' content in the press as soon as possible in this regard."
Head of Communications Altun noted that Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, in his masterpiece "History of Turkish Literature in Nineteenth Century," dedicated a section to the birth of journalism and stated that in the history of modernisation, "Newspapers are not only instruments that create and deliver news but also produce content that bears cultural and artistic values.’"
Head of Communications Altun went on to say:
In fact, the history of our literature reveals that newspapers were the first to publish many unique works, serving as an invaluable research medium for our history of culture and thought. Historically, we observe that the contents published in newspapers, even if they are actually literary content, are not deemed intellectual and artistic work that requires legal protection, like journals and books. Surely, one of the reasons for this is the approach towards newspapers asserting that they contain 'topical', 'newsworthy', 'fast-produced' and 'factual' content on today's topics. Another reason is that newspapers and news agencies feature fewer literary works with each passing day. Even if this were the case, sharing factual data is not the sole activity of news production."
"News articles are works that require copyright protection"
Pointing out that news production is dependent on the endeavour, research, abstraction, and analysis of the reporter on the one hand and the editorial preferences, efforts, courage, means, and capabilities of the broadcasting organisation on the other, Head of Communications Altun emphasised that accurate news production is an onerous, costly, demanding, and complicated effort.
Head of Communications Altun said, "For instance, the journalism performed by Anadolu Agency throughout the pandemic, again, during the Russia-Ukraine War, as well as its struggle for truth against the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza since October 7, cannot be addressed as 'a mere activity of sharing factual data'. I would like to emphasise this very clearly and unequivocally. News articles are works that definitely require copyright protection. This is a fact that applies to both the analogue media era and the digital media era. Indeed, within the present digital media-communication ecosystem, copyright protection for news has become more significant and pressing than in the analogue media era. Today, we see that original news content can be easily and rapidly circulated without authorisation.''
''It is clear that this trend must be stopped''
Noting that this situation causes a drop in the revenues of media outlets that produce original content, hence harming the business models of media, the Head of Communications Altun said:
''Unfortunately, Western digital media companies, social media platforms, and technology giants derive unfair profits from this situation, and additionally, they evidently create an unfair competitive environment in the media sector. It is clear that this trend must be stopped. On every platform, we are making every effort to convey this fact: Today, humanity is confronting a significant issue of justice on a global scale, and a key factor exacerbating this crisis is the media imperialism and digital fascism that the entire world is experiencing. Western media companies promote and seek to normalise global injustice. This is precisely why intercommunal communication is asymmetrical and does not appear to be a relationship of equals. These Western media companies and social media platforms exploit the world's information resources, particularly original news content, and make enormous revenues by distributing them in the formats they want.''
Head of Communications Altun stated that copyrights in Türkiye, including journalism, are safeguarded by "Law No. 5846 on Intellectual and Artistic Works," which was enacted in 1952. Altun emphasised the necessity of promptly updating this law and introducing a modern "Digital Copyright Law" for the sake of the future of journalism and the protection of accurate news.
Head of Communications Altun highlighted that a law aimed at aligning copyright regulations with the European Union acquis is currently being considered, which will allow broadcasters in the digital media sector to generate revenue for their activities.
"The exploitation by Western social media companies will end"
Emphasising that the technical work for this regulation is ongoing with input from stakeholders, including the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, AA, the Competition Authority, and the Press Advertisement Agency, Head of Communications Altun added, "I hope that these initiatives will be swiftly incorporated into the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, leading to the introduction of the Digital Copyrights Law." Labour theft will be prevented with this process we discuss. Implementing necessary steps to safeguard the copyright of news content will primarily foster the advancement and establishment of authentic journalism and reinforce the journalism profession. This will cease the exploitation of our media outlets and news agencies by Western social media companies. We are facing exploitation, and those carrying out this exploitation are Western social media platforms and large tech companies. Our news agencies and media outlets that generate authentic news are being exploited. Protecting the news' copyrights will help to reinforce the media's ethical standards of conduct. Moreover, notable progress will be made in the fight against fake news and disinformation, thanks to the contributions of every citizen, our society, our state, and our nation."
Head of Communications Altun contended that the rapid technological transformation we are witnessing is reshaping the media and communications landscape. He emphasised that the advancements in social, political, military, and technological spheres necessitate the establishment of new legal frameworks.
Head of Communications, Altun, acknowledged that the innovations of the digital age have profoundly changed the communications landscape and drastically transformed the organisation and operation of media, noting that artificial intelligence is unquestionably a key component of this transformation.
"We encounter fresh risks along with new opportunities"
Noting that artificial intelligence's effective function in the media spans a broad spectrum, from access to information to content creation, Head of Communications Altun said:
"Today, artificial intelligence finds application in various fields, including the automation of news, content personalisation, and the identification of advertisements for target audiences. However, the impact of this technology extends beyond merely enhancing business processes. We encounter fresh risks, emerging challenges, evolving threats, along with new opportunities. While artificial intelligence (AI) tools offer potential benefits like efficiency, cost and time savings, marketing, and innovative advertising markets, they also come with risks and challenges such as privacy, surveillance, deepfakes, and disinformation. We engage with artificial intelligence technologies with a sense of cautious optimism, particularly highlighting the following: "The primary objective is to utilise artificial intelligence in the pursuit of truth." This is our endeavour. The most significant risk in the new media order, which is evolving with artificial intelligence, is the transformation of clickbait news articles into references, as well as the uncontrolled circulation of sensational or disinformative pieces of news instead of original content—in other words, falsehood overshadowing the truth."
On the other hand, Altun underscored that AI technologies' impact on the media extends beyond the creation and distribution of content, as they also determine whose voice is amplified and which content is prioritised.
Head of Communications Altun also said: "In a similar vein, our agenda, which is brimming with a variety of issues, includes but is not limited to unauthorised copying and distribution of personal data, tampering with personal data, the dissemination of content that is in opposition to public principles, and data mining. As each of us is aware, the media is an indispensable element of democracy through its function of informing the public and shaping public opinion. This is precisely why the use of AI technologies in the media has to comply with the principles of social justice and transparency. I would like to emphasise that all divisions of the Directorate of Communications prioritise a human-orientated perspective that considers social benefit, with the recognition that it would be a significant error to disregard the impact of artificial intelligence on society."
"It will become harder to identify AI-generated content"
While many international actors try to make sure that people are held accountable in the digital world, Head of Communications Altun said that the Directorate of Communications will remain devoted to making sure that all employees and units produce professional and top-notch journalism. He also said that they would continue to fully support the efforts being made to make sure that everyone has access to accurate and useful information and to stop unethical competition in digital media.
"It is evident that the issue of copyright for news content has become a more significant challenge as a result of the advancements in artificial intelligence technologies. Although existing laws attempt to safeguard the tangible rights of authors, it remains uncertain who would own the copyright of the work generated by artificial intelligence based on a text created by an author. The issue, unfortunately, spans a manifold of domains, from music to cinema and scenarios to photographs. Risks such as piracy, unauthorised distribution, and violation of personal rights and privacy are intensifying by the day. Nevertheless, it is certain that as AI tools continue to evolve, human-made and AI-generated content will become increasingly indistinguishable. The readiness to solve novel problems stemming from the issue of copyrights is the way to overcome this challenge. This is why it is significant that we devise our own strategies in response to these technologies. I believe that this symposium will output significant content in this context."
Head of Communications Altun emphasised the importance of safeguarding the ownership rights of news and authors, as well as preventing the global hegemony from unilaterally and biasedly utilising new technologies.
"Global challenges require global solutions"
Noting that despite the growing legal and ethical awareness regarding the problems caused by digitalisation, these concerns have not yet been fully addressed by a legal framework, Head of Communications Altun said, "It is evident that the current process of revising the existing copyright laws necessitates international cooperation. The Directorate of Communications' agreements with 22 countries in the field of communications and media are tangible demonstrations of our approach to international cooperation in solving such issues. This is because digitalisation, with its opportunities and issues, is a global challenge. Global challenges require global solutions. I wholeheartedly believe that the News Copyright and AI in Media Symposium will be a beacon that will show us how to bridge new media technologies and principles of fundamental communication."
