Mass leak of personal data sparks fear among Turkey's Syrian refugees

A 14-year-old has been detained by Turkish authorities in relation to the disclosures

Arabic letters are covered on shop signs on May 1, 2018, in Turkey's Gaziantep province. Concern has grown that some ultranationalist Turks are aiming to force Syrians to leave. AFP

The personal data of up to three million Syrians living in Turkey was leaked online overnight by a social media account run by a 14-year-old, raising fears that the leak could enable further attacks against one of Turkey’s most vulnerable communities.

The leak followed a week of mob violence against Syrians in Turkey, prompted by the alleged sexual assault of a minor by a Syrian man and reports that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is prepared to normalise relations with Syrian leader Bashar Al Assad.

Turkey’s Interior Ministry said that the identity information of Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey – the formal status of over three million Syrians who fled the war in their home country – was shared from the account.

“It has been seen that a social media account with the nickname *"Uprising#Turkey”* posted today, ‘We will start an uprising in Sultanbeyli between 19.00-20.00,” the ministry said.

“The investigation revealed that the administrator of the social media account was 14-year-old E.P. It was also understood that the identity information of Syrians under Temporary Protection was shared from the same account. The necessary action was taken against E.P. by the Istanbul Children's Branch Directorate,” the statement added.

The National viewed images of some of the leaked documents, which include copies of passport information, full names, ID numbers and address information.

The exact number of the leaked files remains unclear, but according to a Syrian activist in Turkey monitoring the leak, the disclosed data initially included that of half a million Syrian men and women residing in Istanbul, and another 400,000 Syrian men and women living in the south-eastern city of Gaziantep.

“There are confirmed numbers when the leaks began to be discovered after they began to be published in several Telegram channels, and the number of leaked files that were published multiplied over time,” the person said.

Most Syrians in Turkey fled across the border to escape a crackdown by the Syrian government on an uprising 13 years ago, and fear retribution resulting from closer ties between Ankara and Damascus.

According to Turkish law, foreigners, including Syrians, must register their addresses in the country. For some Syrians, this gives them to access some services such as healthcare, education and small EU-funded cash transfers. There are many thousands more Syrians in the country who are unregistered, preventing them from accessing these services or obtaining work permits.

It is not clear exactly who was behind the leak. But it has raised fears among Syrians in the country that it is part of efforts by some ultranationalist Turks to force Syrians to leave.

“This is a way to intimidate all Syrians and expose them to various types of danger, including having mobile phone numbers and using them for terrorist and fraudulent activities and the like,” said the Syrian activist.

“They will either feel they have no choice but to return to Syria or find illegal routes into the European Union,” he added.