ernment’s strong commitment to create an independent and effective system of telecommunications services, which will be competitive with
analogous infrastructures in more-developed
countries. On the other hand the government follows a strong and multilevel information security
policy, ensuring surveillance of telecommunications and Internet traffic in the country.
The Agency for Informatizaton and
Communication (AIC), a central executive body in
the IT field, is authorized to implement state policy in telecommunications and information technology development industries, carry out control
in these sectors, and issue licenses to every type
of telecommunications service. 7 The Security
Council (SC), a body chaired by the president, is
responsible for drafting decisions and providing
assistance to the head of state on issues of
defense and national security. 8 The SC also prepares a list of Web sites every six months that it
wants to have blocked or forbidden from distribution. A 2005 SC decision legally forbade key
national security bodies (namely the Ministries of
Emergency Situations, of Internal Affairs, of
Defense, and the National Security Committee)
from connecting to the Internet. However, despite
this prohibition, ONI researchers witnessed state
officials accessing forbidden Web sites through
an anonymizer.
The security system in Kazakhstan is complex and multilayered. The Inter-Departmental
Commission is charged with coordinating and
developing the national information infrastructure. The National Security Committee (NSC)
monitors presidential, government, and military
communications. The Office of the Prime Minister
is an authorized state body responsible for the
protection of state secrets and the maintenance
of information security. “State secret” is broadly
defined, encompassing various government policies as well as the president’s private life, health,
and financial affairs. The NSC has issued a general license to the private Agency on Information
Security to establish and organize facilities for
cryptographic protection of information, as well
as to formulate proposals on information security
for state organizations, corporate clients, banks,
and other large commercial companies.
The information communications technology sector in Kazakhstan is highly regulated, as
evidenced by some 300 legislative acts that
expressly or implicitly control the information and
telecommunications environment. All ISPs
require a license from the AIC. 9 All telecommunications operators are legally obliged, as part of
the licensing requirement, to connect their channels to a public network controlled by
Kazakhtelecom. The so-called Billing Center of
Telecommunication Traffic, established by the
government in 1999, helps trace the activity of
private companies and strengthen the monopolist position of Kazakhtelecom in the IT sphere. In
practice, some telecommunications operators
circumvent such regulations by using IP telephony to pass their interregional and international
traffic.
The government has established systems to
monitor and filter Internet traffic. Since the traffic
of all first-tier ISPs goes through Kazakhtelecom’s channels, filtering can be achieved using
centralized resources. The ISPs may unknowingly receive filtered content because the main operator could install filters on any information that it
deems inappropriate. ONI suspects that state
officials informally ask Kazakhtelecom to filter
certain content. Russian companies and
Kazakhtelecom have openly signed an agreement to provide filtering, censorship, and surveillance on the basis of Security Council resolutions.
State regulations oblige Internet providers to
register and maintain electronic records of customer Internet activity. ISPs are required to install
special software and hardware equipment in
order to create and store records for a specified
amount of time, including log-in times, types of
the connection, transmitted and received traffic
between parties of the connection, identification
314
Country Summaries
analogous infrastructures in more-developed
countries. On the other hand the government follows a strong and multilevel information security
policy, ensuring surveillance of telecommunications and Internet traffic in the country.
The Agency for Informatizaton and
Communication (AIC), a central executive body in
the IT field, is authorized to implement state policy in telecommunications and information technology development industries, carry out control
in these sectors, and issue licenses to every type
of telecommunications service. 7 The Security
Council (SC), a body chaired by the president, is
responsible for drafting decisions and providing
assistance to the head of state on issues of
defense and national security. 8 The SC also prepares a list of Web sites every six months that it
wants to have blocked or forbidden from distribution. A 2005 SC decision legally forbade key
national security bodies (namely the Ministries of
Emergency Situations, of Internal Affairs, of
Defense, and the National Security Committee)
from connecting to the Internet. However, despite
this prohibition, ONI researchers witnessed state
officials accessing forbidden Web sites through
an anonymizer.
The security system in Kazakhstan is complex and multilayered. The Inter-Departmental
Commission is charged with coordinating and
developing the national information infrastructure. The National Security Committee (NSC)
monitors presidential, government, and military
communications. The Office of the Prime Minister
is an authorized state body responsible for the
protection of state secrets and the maintenance
of information security. “State secret” is broadly
defined, encompassing various government policies as well as the president’s private life, health,
and financial affairs. The NSC has issued a general license to the private Agency on Information
Security to establish and organize facilities for
cryptographic protection of information, as well
as to formulate proposals on information security
for state organizations, corporate clients, banks,
and other large commercial companies.
The information communications technology sector in Kazakhstan is highly regulated, as
evidenced by some 300 legislative acts that
expressly or implicitly control the information and
telecommunications environment. All ISPs
require a license from the AIC. 9 All telecommunications operators are legally obliged, as part of
the licensing requirement, to connect their channels to a public network controlled by
Kazakhtelecom. The so-called Billing Center of
Telecommunication Traffic, established by the
government in 1999, helps trace the activity of
private companies and strengthen the monopolist position of Kazakhtelecom in the IT sphere. In
practice, some telecommunications operators
circumvent such regulations by using IP telephony to pass their interregional and international
traffic.
The government has established systems to
monitor and filter Internet traffic. Since the traffic
of all first-tier ISPs goes through Kazakhtelecom’s channels, filtering can be achieved using
centralized resources. The ISPs may unknowingly receive filtered content because the main operator could install filters on any information that it
deems inappropriate. ONI suspects that state
officials informally ask Kazakhtelecom to filter
certain content. Russian companies and
Kazakhtelecom have openly signed an agreement to provide filtering, censorship, and surveillance on the basis of Security Council resolutions.
State regulations oblige Internet providers to
register and maintain electronic records of customer Internet activity. ISPs are required to install
special software and hardware equipment in
order to create and store records for a specified
amount of time, including log-in times, types of
the connection, transmitted and received traffic
between parties of the connection, identification
314
Country Summaries