No ban on WhatsApp or Telegram – Ministry

Tengrinews.kz - Will civil servants be banned from using WhatsApp and Telegram for personal purposes? The Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry has commented on the circulating information.
The ministry issued a statement clarifying that the rumors about a supposed upcoming ban on the use of foreign messengers — such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and others — are not true. They reminded that Kazakh officials will be using the domestic messenger Aitu for work-related purposes.

“The Ministry of Digital Development informs the public that no ban on the personal use of foreign services is being introduced. The initiative to implement Aitu applies exclusively to official communication in central and local government bodies, as well as in quasi-public sector organizations. It is necessary to ensure that civil servants can safely exchange information intended strictly for official use,” the statement read.

The goal is to enhance information security and transition to a secure digital environment.
The ministry added that Aitu will serve as the main tool for official correspondence, work chats, urgent notifications, and interaction with government digital platforms.

“Its advantage is that all servers are located in Kazakhstan, which meets data protection requirements and makes the system more reliable for government agencies.
Aitu does not replace or interfere with foreign messengers in citizens’ personal lives, but simply provides a secure channel for work processes in the public sector,” the ministry emphasized.

Aitu is a Kazakhstani digital platform launched in 2018. It combines the functions of a messenger, social network, and payment service: allowing users to exchange messages and calls, create groups and channels, use mini-apps, transfer money, pay for services and taxes, and access government services.
Earlier, during a meeting on the development of artificial intelligence, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the government to work on transferring all communications containing personal data to the secure national messenger Aitu.
Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces have already begun switching to Aitu for official correspondence.
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