Is Süleyman Soylu still using the 'KİM' application? Response from the Police comes 1 year later
The General Directorate of Security has responded nearly a year later to a citizen's inquiry submitted via CİMER regarding whether former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu still uses the "KİM" application, which is alleged to provide instant access to personal data. The police refused to share the information, stating that it falls under "intelligence and confidentiality."
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In an application made to the Presidential Communication Center (CİMER) on April 29, 2024, the question was posed: "Does former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu still continue to use the application called 'KİM'?"
This question raised the possibility of unauthorized use of the "KİM" application by a former minister, a topic that has sparked major debates in the public sphere regarding personal data security and the limits of authority.
'INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION' RESPONSE FROM THE POLICE
According to a report by İsmail Arı from Birgün, the answer to that question was provided exactly one year later, on April 24, 2025. In the response given by the Intelligence Department of the General Directorate of Security, the request was denied under the scope of the Right to Information Act. The response stated the following:
"Pursuant to the first paragraph of Article 18 of the Right to Information Act No. 4982, titled 'Information or documents related to intelligence,' information or documents related to intelligence are outside the scope of the right to information. Since the subjects in the application text fall under the confidentiality scope of the Law on Duties and Powers of the Police, there is no action that can be taken, and your request has been denied."
HOW DID SOYLU PROMOTE THE APPLICATION?
The application called "KİM" was frequently brought to the agenda by former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, especially during the 2023 presidential election period. Soylu described this application as "domestic and national," and even demonstrated it on a television program he attended by taking a photo of the host and showing that he could access their identity information in just 1.9 seconds on live broadcast.
It was alleged that the application provided direct access to identity information through the Police and internal state networks.
In the program, Soylu emphasized the capacity of the application and the state's technological capabilities by stating, "This state has very great powers. This that I am showing you right now is one hundred-thousandth of it."
However, this demonstration was met with public backlash; legal experts argued that the situation of making personal data available for instant access was contrary to the Constitution and the Personal Data Protection Law. Opposition parties also characterized the way Soylu promoted the application as "the abuse of personal data for political purposes."