President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered that all state communications containing personal data be transferred from foreign messaging platforms to the domestic app Aitu. He made the announcement Aug. 11 during a meeting on artificial intelligence development.
Tokayev said much of the business and official correspondence, including the exchange of citizens’ personal information, is now conducted through international messaging services. This often involves sending personal identification numbers, health data and other sensitive details, he noted, which violates Kazakhstan’s data protection laws and risks information being leaked beyond the country’s jurisdiction.
«Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has developed a domestic messenger, Aitu, which is capable of providing the necessary level of security,» Tokayev said. «The government needs to work out the issue of transferring all communications containing personal data to a secure national messenger.»
Aitu was developed by Kazakh company BTS Digital and is owned by Phoenix Fund. Phoenix Fund’s stakeholders include Kazakhtelecom, the national telecommunications operator; ERG Investment Projects and Digital Opportunities I Limited. The founder of the latter is Olzhas Ukenov, head of the Almak Capital venture fund.
As of late 2020, Aitu had 1.4 million registered users, with 100,000 to 150,000 active daily users, almost all of them in Kazakhstan.
