In the Ministry for Digital Development, Innovation and the Aerospace Industry (MDDIAI), they commented on information about a leak of personal data of Kazakhstan's citizens.
According to the Telegram channel "They're already coming for us", the reason for the statement was a publication by a member of the Mazhilis, Murat Abenov. On his Facebook page, he expressed outrage that Telegram bots are handing out personal information about citizens "left, right and centre," including their Individual Identification Number (IIN), addresses, phone numbers and data about family members.
In his words, this became possible because of "uncontrolled digitalisation" and "corrupt officials" carrying it out "to serve the interests of businesses and foreign organisations."
"All data from state information systems is publicly available, most likely a downloaded e-gov database and updated in real time: date of birth, IIN, residential address, phone numbers. And the same for all family members living together. And also what apartments were bought, what cars were driven," wrote Abenov.
For its part, the MDDIAI stated that it had analysed the situation and found that the bots use information from old leaks, as well as data from open sources and third-party services such as GetContact. Access to the latter, according to the department, is restricted in Kazakhstan due to violations of the law.
According to the ministry, links to the Telegram bots have been passed to the relevant authorities for verification. Previously, according to representatives of the MDDIAI, more than 30 such bots had already been shut down.
"We urge citizens not to use such services and not to disseminate personal data in the public domain. If you find anything, report it to the email address [email protected] or to the work phone number 8 (7172) 649405," the department concluded.
Incidentally, a new service called Nomad Guard, designed to check the security of personal data, has appeared in the eGov Mobile mobile app.
For context, in March last year, Kazakhstan's citizens were informed about a leak of their personal data in the eGov Mobile app. Notifications were also sent to those who had never taken out loans from microfinance organisations.