Two new apps are currently actively spreading among Turkic peoples in various countries: Baykar Makina and Turanity. Let’s take a closer look.
Turanity
Turanity is a social network created for Turkic peoples. It brings together users who share a common history and traditions, giving them the opportunity to share geological history, explore the culture and nature of their neighbors, and communicate in their native language. The app supports six languages: Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Azerbaijani, Turkish, and Russian.
The developers claim that Turanity is apolitical. However, cybersecurity experts disagree, advising caution when using the app.
Security Measures
Experts’ main recommendation is to isolate the app from your main account. To do this, you can use a separate smartphone and an unregistered SIM card, which will sever the connection between personal information and your messenger activity. Additionally, an anonymous number protects your main accounts from interception.
Baykar Makina
Baykar Makina is a new messaging app developed by a military company linked to Selçuk Bayraktar, the son-in-law of the Turkish president. This app also has state-sponsored purposes.
Little is known about the project, but it is expected to operate similarly to Turanity. Experts note the app’s aggressive integration into the device’s operating system.
According to experts, the app integrates into the smartphone’s system without the user’s consent, especially on Android devices. This allows it to bypass standard permissions and access a variety of data: from contacts and messages to browser history and geolocation. Unlike other apps that request access to specific functions, Baykar Makina begins collecting information immediately after installation and runs in the background, uncontrolled by the user.
Artificial Intelligence for Creating a Digital Dossier
Experts’ concerns revolve not only around data collection but also its analysis. The messenger uses artificial intelligence to process the collected information. AI algorithms can compile a detailed “digital dossier” on each user, including personal data, contacts, political views, religious beliefs, habits, and social connections.
Even more alarming is the ability to analyze correspondence and media files to identify “compromising materials.” According to some reports, this data could be shared with intelligence agencies to promote specific ideological agendas, such as pan-Turkism.
Why are messaging apps for specific nationalities needed?
Many countries have national messaging apps, but their users are all citizens of the country, and the content is not aimed at promoting the values of a specific nationality. These are ordinary social networks where the values of Turkic and other peoples and faiths can be disseminated. The emergence of apps aimed at a narrow audience or a specific faith raises questions and suspicions.
