Glossary · Communication and phone system
What is a call log?
A call record (çağrı kaydı in Turkish) is a term that covers two things: the call history holding a call's number, date, time, and duration, and the audio recording of the conversation itself. The history shows who called whom and when. A recording is personal data, so it needs its own notice and retention rules.
Last updated: · Author: Şevket Erer, Co-founder, AI Specialist
What is a call log for?
In work that runs on the phone, the detail most often lost is who called whom and when. When a customer says they rang yesterday and nobody answered, the call history is how you check. Whether a missed call was returned shows up in the same log.
In Turkish the same term, çağrı kaydı, covers two different things. A call log holds the details about a call rather than the call itself: number, date, time, duration, direction, and any note. A call recording is the conversation itself, and because it is personal data it follows separate rules. It helps to be clear from the start which one is meant.
How is a call log kept?
In a call log the phone system writes every incoming, outgoing or missed call with its date, time and duration. If the number belongs to a known person, the call is linked to that person's history, and whoever took the call adds a short note on what was said. A missed call turns into a call-back task, and a promise made on the call into a reminder.
- The call is logged
The phone system logs every incoming, outgoing, or missed call with its date, time, and duration.
- The number is matched
If the number belongs to a known contact, the call is attached to their history; if not, a new record can be opened.
- A note is added
Whoever took the call writes a short note of what was said. Without a note, the length of the call is known but its content is not.
- Follow-up
A missed call becomes a call-back task, and a promise made on the call becomes a reminder.
An example
At a technical service firm, a few people answer the phones. A call at lunchtime goes unanswered. The call history shows the number belongs to a building manager, and the record shows last week's fault note. The person calling back starts prepared and asks whether the lift door fault reported last week is still happening. After the call they write the note and open a service task.
What has the KVKK Board (Turkey's data protection board) decided on requests for call recordings?
The Personal Data Protection Board has followed one line in complaints where customers asked for recordings of their own calls: the person must be able to reach the content, and other people's details must be protected. The cards retell the decision summaries published on kvkk.gov.tr in our own words; decision numbers and dates come from the summary pages. Each card title links to the decision summary.
Recordings of calls with a brokerage firm
· 2020/13
- Case
- A customer with a brokerage agreement asked for recordings of phone calls with the firm; the firm refused.
- What the Board concluded
- The Board held that the right of access means reaching the content in a way the person can fully understand, while handing over the recording medium itself falls outside it; it ordered a transcript of the calls to be sent to the person with data security in mind.
- What it means for the team
- When customers ask for their own call, a written transcript can be prepared instead of the audio file; the request cannot simply be closed with a refusal.
Transcript of an airline call centre conversation
· 2020/504
- Case
- A passenger asked for a written transcript of a call with an airline's call centre; the airline refused, saying recordings went only to the authorities.
- What the Board concluded
- During the review the airline sent the transcript with other people's details redacted and instructed its units to handle new requests the same way. The Board therefore took no action against it.
- What it means for the team
- A transcript with other people's details redacted is an accepted way to meet the request; writing the internal instruction in advance speeds things up.
A request by KEP for a subscription call recording
· 2020/746
- Case
- A subscriber asked, through the company's KEP address, for the recording of a subscription call; the company said that address was not set aside for personal data requests.
- What the Board concluded
- The Board ordered the transcript to be sent with other people's data removed or masked, requests to be answered in time, and the company to arrange for requests to be received at its own KEP address.
- What it means for the team
- Decide the request channels in advance, and log personal data requests that arrive at the KEP address too.
Transcript of a call with a bank's customer representative
· 2023/1050
- Case
- A bank customer asked for the recording or transcript of a call with a customer representative; the bank cited its duty of confidentiality.
- What the Board concluded
- The Board held that banking confidentiality forbids disclosure to third parties but does not remove a person's right of access to their own data; it ordered the transcript to be sent to the person with other people's data masked.
- What it means for the team
- A sector-specific secrecy rule does not by itself block customers' access to their own calls; who prepares the transcript should be settled in advance.
This page is general information, not legal advice; the regulations were last checked on 25 September 2026. Official text: Personal Data Protection Law (mevzuat.gov.tr), Personal Data Protection Authority (kvkk.gov.tr)
How it looks in Corex360
In Corex360 Cloud PBX, calls are made from the Call Center window in the browser, over an extension assigned to each user. Incoming and outgoing calls are linked to the caller's contact card. Outgoing and missed calls are listed with date, time, and duration. Call recording is not promised on this page; recording scope and how missed calls are followed up are shown in the demo.
Terms often confused with it
| Cloud PBX | A cloud PBX is the system that carries the calls. The call log is the history that system produces. |
|---|---|
| Computer telephony integration (CTI) | CTI is the technique that links phone and computer. It is what lets a call log land on the contact card by itself. |
Related terms: Computer telephony integration (CTI), VERBİS (Turkey's data controllers registry), Cloud PBX
FAQ
Is a call log the same as a call recording?
No. A call log is the number, date, time, and duration of a call. A recording is the conversation itself and needs its own retention and notice rules.
Is call recording legal, and do you need permission?
A recording is personal data. Under KVKK, Turkey's data protection law, people must be told why the call is recorded and a retention period must be set; whether explicit consent is needed depends on the purpose and the legal basis. Take advice from your legal adviser before you start.
How are missed calls followed up in a call log?
A missed call gets an owner once it becomes a task. Until the task is closed the call is not forgotten, and a manager can see from the list which missed calls are still open.
Related questions
- Can a personal data request be made by KEP?
- Yes. The Communiqué on Applications to the Data Controller lists a KEP address among the ways to apply (Communiqué Article 5(1), Board decision 2020/746). In that decision the Board told a company to arrange for requests to be received at its own KEP address.
Was this page useful?