GRF Young Professionals Program 2024-2025 Term
Fifth Meeting
December 20, 2025

The fifth meeting of the 2024-2025 term of the GRF Young Professionals Program, which aims to provide a platform for young professionals who are equipped with the resolve, background, and experience to contribute to the future of Turkey and the world, was held on December 20, 2025.

Moderated by Assoc. Prof. Zeynep Ayata, Senior Fellow at the Istanbul Policy Center (IPC), the meeting was organized around the main theme of “Digital Order, Data Sovereignty, and Governance.” The presentations and discussions focused on how digital technologies are reshaping the relationships between the state, the market, and the individual. In this context, particular attention was given to the implications of data production and control for power relations, as well as the resulting challenges for sovereignty, fundamental rights, and democratic governance.

The meeting also examined existing regulatory approaches to the digital domain, addressing how data sovereignty is conceptualized across different national contexts and which mechanisms may contribute to sustaining democratic legitimacy in an increasingly digitalized public sphere.

The presenters used the following book as a reference point in addressing their selected topic:

The Digital Republic: On Freedom and Democracy in the 21st Century – Jamie Susskind