Technically, a .tar.gz file (or "tarball") is a compressed archive commonly used in Linux and Unix-based systems to bundle multiple files into a single, smaller package. However, in the context of "mernis.tar.gz," it represents a massive cache of sensitive data—including full names, Turkish ID numbers (TC Kimlik No), dates of birth, and home addresses—that has circulated online since at least 2016. The History of the MERNİS Leak
: A .tar.gz file is a compressed archive created by the tar utility and then compressed using gzip . mernis.tar.gz
The database is a cornerstone of the Turkish state's administrative capabilities, linking citizens to voting, healthcare, education, and security services. Technically, a
. It was famously hosted on a site with a Romanian IP address and distributed via peer-to-peer torrent networks Google Groups Significance: The database is a cornerstone of the Turkish
Get-ChildItem -Path C:\ -Name mernis.tar.gz -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue Remove-Item -Path "C:\full\path\to\mernis.tar.gz" -Force
Many versions of this file circulating on Telegram or shady forums are infected with malware
The data contained in the leak was remarkably detailed, including: