ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 18. Kazakhstan plans to strengthen the protection of citizens’ personal data through legislative and technical measures following the adoption of the updated Constitution, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of AI and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev, said at a government meeting, Trend reports via the Government of Kazakhstan.
Madiyev emphasized that the new Constitution enshrines the right to privacy and protection of personal data from unlawful collection, processing, storage, and use, including through digital technologies.
To implement these provisions, amendments will be introduced to a number of legal acts, including the Code of Administrative Offenses, the Criminal Code, and laws on personal data and cybersecurity.
According to Madiyev, the reforms will focus on two key areas. The first includes organizational and technical measures, such as the introduction of modern data protection tools, including masking and hashing. Data exports from state databases will be restricted, with priority given to system integration, while data extraction will only be allowed in strictly defined legal cases.
In addition, authorities plan to establish a registry of personal data operators with classification, as well as a registry of trusted foreign recipients. Efforts will also focus on raising cyber awareness.
The second area concerns increased accountability. Data operators will be required to notify both the authorized body and citizens about personal data breaches, as well as inform regulators when they begin processing personal data.
Criminal liability for large-scale data leaks is also under consideration, along with raising administrative fines up to 5,000 monthly calculation indices (MCI).
A nationwide referendum on the adoption of the new Constitution was held on March 15. The decree to hold the vote was signed on February 11 by Tokayev. According to official results, 87.15% of voters supported the proposal.