Telegram to Establish Office in Kazakhstan

The messaging service Telegram is set to open an office and appoint a representative in Kazakhstan to better comply with regulatory requirements and engage with authorities. This was announced by the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan.

The head of the ministry, Zhaslan Madiyev, held meetings with the US Chamber of Commerce and representatives of major American companies, including Meta and Apple, discussing data security, combating fake accounts, and user protection.

“We are also actively cooperating with Telegram for the prompt removal of unlawful content and blocking of destructive channels. According to our legislation, internet platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp, and TikTok are now required to have a representative in Kazakhstan. An agreement has already been reached with Telegram to appoint their representative and open an office — an important step for enhancing content control,” Madiyev noted.

The ministry is beginning work with Meta to combat fraudulent schemes. According to the statement, the corporation blocked 1.2 billion fake accounts worldwide in the last quarter using artificial intelligence technologies.

The opening of Telegram’s office in Kazakhstan aligns with the latest efforts by the messenger and its founder, Pavel Durov, to improve relations with authorities. At the end of September, the platform updated its user agreement to allow the transfer of IP addresses and phone numbers of those violating rules to government bodies.

Later, Durov shared statistics on processed legal requests from several countries for user data disclosure in 2024.

Back in August, French authorities detained Durov as part of an investigation into an “unidentified person” on 12 counts, including illegal provision of cryptographic services, refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, complicity in the distribution of child pornography, facilitation of drug trafficking, and organized crime activities.

On August 28, the messenger’s founder was placed under judicial supervision with a €5 million bail and required to report to the police twice a week. He is prohibited from leaving France until March 2025.

In his first post after release, Durov announced enhanced moderation on Telegram.