Three detained over leaked student photos at İzmir university

IZMIR

Turkish authorities have detained three suspects in connection with the illegal sharing of female students’ photographs from İzmir University of Economics, prosecutors said.

The investigation was launched in the western city after photos belonging to women who enrolled at the private university between 2001 and recent years were uploaded to a website without consent.

These images were posted under headings such as “most beautiful” and “ugliest” and put to a public vote, alongside the victims' student ID numbers.

Police carried out simultaneous operations in the provinces of Sakarya and Antalya, seizing digital devices during the raids.

Prosecutors said the suspects are accused of unlawfully obtaining and disseminating personal data, as well as manipulating data within an information system.

In a statement, İzmir University of Economics said the data breach was linked to an old student information system that was decommissioned at the end of 2024.

The university said the leaked material was limited to low-resolution ID photos and student numbers, stressing that there is no security breach in its current, active systems.

It added that administrative, legal and technical reviews were launched immediately after reports of the leak emerged on Jan. 4.