Passport may be required to register on social networks in Kazakhstan

Tengrinews.kz – The possibility of using passport data for registration in social networks is being considered in Kazakhstan. This was reported at a CCS briefing by Mazhilis deputy Yekaterina Smyshlyayeva.
This measure is being discussed as one of the tools to protect children on the Internet. According to the deputy, this is not about banning teenagers from accessing social networks. The concept of so-called “digital adulthood” implies restricting access to certain types of content, not completely excluding minors from the digital environment.

“Using passport data during registration can be considered an additional barrier. However, it is impossible to guarantee its one hundred percent effectiveness,” Smyshlyayeva noted.

She explained that technical methods of age verification, such as simply entering a date of birth, often do not work, since a user can indicate any age or register via an adult’s account. At the same time, even partial restrictions can reduce children’s access to unwanted content, she believes.
Smyshlyayeva also stressed that today major platforms already use more sophisticated mechanisms — analyzing account behavior to distinguish child audiences from adults and adjust the content offered.
In her view, digital platforms themselves, rather than state bans, should play the key role in protecting children from harmful information.

“It is technically impossible to ban anything in the digital environment — it has a different nature,” the deputy added.

Discussion of possible mechanisms for regulating the digital environment is ongoing.