Digital Code in Kazakhstan
- Digital Evidence
- Digital Identity and Verification
- Digital Human Rights
- Regulation of Digital Intermediaries
- Digital Sovereignty
- Why is this important?
- REVERA lawyers will help you adapt to the changes
The Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan has approved the draft Digital Code of the RK in the first reading.
For the IT business operating in or planning to enter the Kazakh market, the Digital Code is becoming a cornerstone. It not only grants legal status to digital identity and biometrics but also introduces, for the first time, regulations governing the activities of digital platforms. This means that henceforth, marketplaces, aggregators, and platforms will bear specific legal liability to customers. The key changes are:
Digital Evidence
The possibility of using digital evidence in courts is being legally recognised for the first time. This includes electronic documents, correspondence, logs, as well as smart contracts as self-executing digital agreements.
This decision unifies legal enforcement practices with Western jurisdictions, where electronic correspondence has long been recognised as full-fledged evidence in court disputes. For companies and lawyers, this means a more predictable and transparent environment. This is particularly important in disputes with counterparts from CIS countries, where the legal force of correspondence, especially in messengers, was often questioned or challenged in courts. Now, such arguments lose their force. Correspondence on WhatsApp and Telegram gains new legal significance as a tool for digital evidence.
Digital Identity and Verification
The draft law enshrines the legal status of digital identity, electronic signature, biometrics, and multi-factor authentication. This creates a foundation for secure and legally significant interaction in the online space.
Their regulatory recognition opens up new opportunities for FinTech and DeFi projects, automation of international settlements, and digital transactions, where identity verification and the legal force of digital actions are critically important. This enhances Kazakhstan's technological attractiveness as a jurisdiction for IT businesses relocating from countries with less predictable or outdated legal infrastructure.
Digital Human Rights
Basic digital rights are being introduced: the right to be forgotten, access to information, protection of personal data, and privacy. This is a step towards strengthening citizens' control over their digital footprint.
Regulation of Digital Intermediaries
The Code covers the activities of digital platforms — marketplaces, aggregators, labour platforms. Requirements for their liability, transparency, and user rights protection are being introduced.
It is particularly important that the liability of marketplaces for sellers' actions and the accuracy of information is being strengthened, which is critically significant for both consumers and the sellers themselves, who previously faced non-transparent terms and limited protection options. This increases the compliance burden on major platforms — such as Ozon, Wildberries, and local aggregators — requiring them to establish clearer mechanisms for moderation, verification, and dispute resolution, as well as to adapt their internal policies to the new legal standards.
Digital Sovereignty
The special status of national digital assets, not subject to alienation, is emphasised. This forms the basis for protecting digital infrastructure and data as a strategic resource.
Why is this important?
- For business — new forms of digital contracts and legal interactions are opening up.
- For the courts — the possibility to use digital evidence emerges.
- For citizens — the protection of digital identity and rights in the online space is enhanced.
The implementation of the Digital Code creates new opportunities and risks. For businesses operating in Kazakhstan, this requires adapting internal IT infrastructure and revising the contractual framework.
Author: Alibek Slan
REVERA lawyers will help you adapt to the changes
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