Ensuring the Right of Access to Information Due to the Need to Increase the Level of Information Security and Protect Public Interests

The right to access information allows citizens to monitor government actions. When this right is violated or absent, it threatens state power being usurped or abused. The right to access information guarantees the realization of many human rights and civil freedoms. Public authorities must, while respecting national laws and international agreements, maintain a balance between public and private interests. Objective: The study aims to identify the main directions for ensuring the right to access information in the context of improving information security and protecting public interests. Method: The main research methods are source analysis and expert survey. Based on theoretical analysis, the study examines definitions of access to information and restrictions on access to information to ensure information security. Results and Discussion: The expert survey results identify the components of the system to ensure access to information and better regulate restricted information to guarantee information security and protect public interests. The authors conclude that the regulatory framework for the information sphere developed in the Republic of Kazakhstan is a comprehensive system that, based on constitutional norms, adequately regulates information relations, balancing individual and state interests. This ensures citizens’ access to information as a characteristic of a democratic state while restricting access to information for personal and state security reasons.