(21 January 2026 | Source: MIA "Kazinform")
Kazakhstan plans to introduce criminal liability for mass leaks of citizens' personal data. This statement was made by the First Vice-Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, Rostislav Konyashkin.
THE "ZERO TOLERANCE" POLICY
According to MIA "Kazinform", Konyashkin stated that the country is transitioning to a policy of "zero tolerance" in the field of protecting Kazakhstanis' personal data. He said this will ensure the realisation of citizens' constitutional rights to privacy and protection of personal information.
INCREASED FINES AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY
As Konyashkin explained, administrative fines for non-compliance with security requirements are planned to be increased to 5,000 monthly calculation indices (21.6 million tenge). Additionally, the possibility of introducing criminal liability for mass personal data leaks is being discussed.
The materials do not specify what criteria will be used to define a "mass" leak or what stage the preparation of the relevant legislative changes is at.
It will be recalled that at the beginning of 2026, the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, Zhaslan Madiev, stated that heads of state bodies would bear personal responsibility for personal data leaks, regardless of the causes or technical explanations.