Aug 21 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google, Apple Inc and Firefox browser maker Mozilla took steps on Wednesday to block the Kazakh government from creating an internet surveillance system using their browsers. Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox will block a government encryption certificate that allows authorities to read anything a user types or posts using the browsers, including account information and passwords, the companies said in separate statements. Apple also said in a statement it would take similar measures to protect the users of its Safari browser. State security officials had said its goal was to protect Kazakh users from "hacker attacks, online fraud and other kinds of cyber threats". The system could be deployed again "if threats emerge to national security in the form of cyber- and information attacks", Kazakhstan's National Security Committee said in a statement this month. The former Soviet Central Asian nation routinely blocks websites and applications used by its critics, including Facebook and Youtube, for short periods of time.
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