The Chief Prosecutor's Office of Kazakhstan has demanded an investigation into disruptions in the services of Yandex Qazaqstan and an examination of compliance with personal data protection requirements. The corresponding directive was sent to the Information Security Committee of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic.
This was indicated in a letter from Chief Prosecutor Berik Assilov in response to a query from deputy Lyazzat Zhilkibaeva. The prosecutor's response was published on the website of Kazakhstan's unicameral parliament, the Kurultai. The document was quoted by Kazakhstani media, including Ak Zhaik and Kazakhstan Today.
According to Assilov, the Chief Prosecutor's Office is conducting a comprehensive inspection specifically related to the activities of the Information Security Committee, which exercises state control in the field of personal data protection. The department will examine the legality of collecting, storing, and transmitting such information, as well as the adequacy of measures to protect citizens' rights. A legal assessment will be given based on the results of the investigation.
The deputy's query was prompted by service disruptions of Yandex on October 11. The company explained these by a failure in infrastructure located outside Kazakhstan's borders. Moreover, the sector ministry reported that servers containing Kazakhstani users' personal data are located within the country, but some system components are hosted abroad. This raised questions about where and on what legal grounds user information, including phone numbers, addresses, travel routes, and payment data, is processed.
In addition to the service disruption, the investigation will also cover incidents involving the disclosure of personal data of employees at educational organizations in the Shieli district of Kyzylorda region, as well as staff and students of schools in Semey. According to Kazakhstani media, the information became publicly accessible.
Yandex Qazaqstan told RBC that the company is in dialogue with Kazakhstan's governmental bodies and is ready to assist the investigation by providing the necessary information.
