The Mazhilis, the lower house of the Kazakh Parliament, approved the draft Digital Code with accompanying amendments in its first reading. The legislation formalizes the use of biometric data, including fingerprints, facial recognition, and voice identification. At the same time, the Electronic Digital Signature (EDS) remains the only qualified form of signature, giving electronically signed documents the same legal validity as paper ones. Additionally, digital documents generated through the national registry are considered equivalent to presenting the original. The draft also proposes a three-tier audit system for digital systems: functional audits verify that system functions align with their intended goals, cybersecurity audits assess resilience to threats and data protection, and regulatory audits ensure compliance with the Code and other legislation. Lawmakers believe this system will ensure transparency, accountability, and effective oversight of Kazakhstan’s digital state.
«The Code also sets out the basic approaches to regulating
digital intermediaries, which include labor platforms, marketplaces, service
aggregators, and administrative digital services. For the first time, it
introduces the concept of digital evidence, enabling its use in civil legal
relationships and proceedings. This is an important step toward recognizing
digital records, logs, and transactions as legally significant,» said
Mazhilis member Yekaterina Smyshlyayeva.
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