In Kazakhstan, a system for labelling official calls has been introduced, which will allow subscribers to distinguish calls from banks, companies, and other organisations from potentially fraudulent calls. New requirements for communications operators and additional measures to protect users of telecommunications services have also been adopted.
WHAT CHANGES ARE PLANNED
Vice-Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, Doszhan Musaliyev announced at a press conference in the Central Communications Service (CCS) that internet access services, IP telephony, and trunked radio communication will only be provided by licensed operators. According to him, this will improve the quality, reliability, and security of such services.
Furthermore, the labelling of calls to mobile subscriber devices has been introduced. Thanks to this, official calls from banks, companies, and other organisations will be displayed on the phone screen, allowing users to distinguish them from fraudulent calls.
WHEN THE NEW RULES COME INTO FORCE
As stated by Doszhan Musaliyev, approximately 90 legislative norms have been adopted in the telecommunications sector. The Law comes into force at the end of August.
The Vice-Minister also reminded that at the end of June, a norm was adopted allowing subscribers to opt out of advertising and information mailings from communications operators, as well as the auto-dial service. Additionally, paid communication and internet services will only be activated after obtaining the subscriber's two-step consent.
WHICH SERVICES HELP PROTECT AGAINST CYBER FRAUD
According to the CCS, several government services are already available to improve citizens' digital security. The ‘Stop Credit’ service in the eGov Mobile app allows users to voluntarily set a ban on taking out loans.
The personal data access control service enables users to check which organisations have been given consent to process their personal data, and to revoke it if necessary. The NomadGuard platform helps to check for possible personal data leaks and identify phishing links.
Free educational resources are also available, including an online course on eGov, developed jointly with UNICEF, covering cyberbullying, online grooming, personal data protection, and safe behaviour on the internet. In addition, the CitizenSec platform is available, offering courses on the basics of cyber hygiene for citizens and civil servants.
WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS WERE GIVEN TO CITIZENS
According to Doszhan Musaliyev, citizens are advised to follow basic cybersecurity rules: do not disclose SMS codes, passwords, or bank card details, do not click on suspicious links, and do not reply to messages from unknown senders.
It is also recommended to check the website or app address before entering personal data, to use strong and different passwords, and to enable two-factor authentication.
