Kazakhstan Moves to Require Content Creators and Online Course Authors to Confirm Qualifications

Kazakhstan is preparing new legislative measures that would tighten requirements for content creators and authors of online courses who publish educational content. Under the proposed rules, such materials would have to include confirmation of the author’s relevant education or professional qualifications. The initiative is outlined in an official response by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov to a parliamentary inquiry regarding the regulation of online educational content. According to Bektenov, a draft law on online platforms and mass media has already been developed, along with amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses. The proposed legislation would require users of online platforms who distribute educational courses or training materials in a specific field to disclose information confirming their qualifications, including details of a diploma or certificate. The government also plans to introduce administrative liability for online platforms operating in Kazakhstan that fail to comply with authorized bodies’ orders to remove illegal content. Authorities note that existing legislation already provides for advertising and selling unregistered medicines and prescription drugs. Bektenov stated that state bodies continuously monitor social networks and cooperate with the administrations of major platforms, including Meta and TikTok, to remove prohibited content. According to him, up to 91% of identified violating materials are removed from TikTok. Oversight is also conducted through the Cyber Surveillance system, which tracks advertisements related to pyramid schemes, online casinos and drug trafficking. Over the past year, authorities identified and blocked more than 13,800 pieces of content promoting drugs, more than 34,700 posts advertising online casinos and over 13,500 materials involving citizens in pyramid schemes. Access to the relevant resources was restricted, and site owners were issued warnings. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that members of the Senate, the upper house of parliament, had proposed introducing licensing requirements for content creators in response to widespread violations of the ban on advertising online casinos on social networks and messaging platforms.

Kazakhstan Actions ‘Lifelong Learning’

On 5 June, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Kazakhstan issued a report on the success of courses delivered by the Skills Enbek vocational training platform. Since the beginning of 2024, 53.5 thousand citizens, including 27.2 thousand unemployed, have completed online courses conducted by Skills Enbek and a total of 427.2 thousand Kazakhs are now registered on the platform. Of the 27.2 thousand unemployed who have completed their training, around 8 thousand are youths based mainly in the regions of Aktobe, Turkestan, Kyzylorda, and Zhambyl regions, and the city of Shymkent. The platform offers 490 wide-ranging courses, lasting between 1-72 hours. The most popular courses last May, included: “Organizing a sales department in a hotel”, “Salesperson”, “Insurance agent”, “Individual assistant to accompany people with limited mobility,” and “Fundamentals of social entrepreneurship”. At present, 254 of the courses are free and the platform now plans to waive charges for training in various sectors including accommodation, food, construction, housing and communal services, social services, finance and accounting, and information technology. By expanding levels of education and professionalism in the country's population, the platform aims to both stimulate career development and promote the concept of “lifelong learning.”