Kazakhstan blocks LinkedIn over alleged fake accounts, gambling ads

FILE PHOTO: The logo for LinkedIn Corporation is shown in Mountain View, California, U.S. February 6, 2013. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

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NUR-SULTAN (Reuters) - Kazakhstan has blocked access to Microsoft subsidiary LinkedIn, over what the Central Asian country's government said were online casino advertisements and fake accounts.

The Ministry of Information and Social Development said in a statement it had asked LinkedIn to remove the items in question but the company has failed to comply. It said it would restore access to the social network once it addresses the complaints.

It is illegal to advertise online casinos in Kazakhstan.

LinkedIn did not respond to a request for comment.

In neighbouring Russia with which Kazakhstan has close political and economic ties, LinkedIn has been blocked since 2016 when Moscow said the company failed to transfer Russian user data to servers located in the country.

(Reporting by Tamara Vaal,; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)