Anonymous Channels: Time to Hold Talks with Telegram – Culture Minister

Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan, Aida Balayeva, announced the government’s intention to initiate discussions with the Telegram administration on blocking anonymous channels, as reported by Orda.kz.

She emphasized that such channels have become a serious problem in the information space.

Anonymous Telegram channels have today become a breeding ground for lies, manipulation, provocations, and they definitely affect people's well-being, and to a greater extent, they spread false information. And, of course, today we must state that it is no longer possible to turn a blind eye to this, and the Ministry has already set itself the tasks and goals of achieving their detection and blocking. Since our clear position is the issue of increasing responsibility for the deliberate dissemination of fakes and destabilizing information. I believe that anonymity should not be a shield for provocateurs,
 Balayeva said during a government briefing.

She referred to the case involving the administrators of the Qirsabyn Telegram channel as a precedent.

QirSabyn was known for publishing personal information about Kazakhstani politicians, bloggers, and celebrities, often provocatively and scandalously. ​In December 2024, administrators of the channel were arrested on charges of extortion. 

And the rules should be the same for everyone, both in real life and in the digital space. Therefore, we will clearly set tasks, and I have already said that there is positive experience with the Qirsabyn Telegram channel. This experience shows that this is possible. And I think that the time has come to sit down at the negotiating table with the Telegram administration,
 the Minister added.

Original Author: Ilya Astakhov