Eyes and Ears of the Empire: Postal and Telegraph Service in Semirechye

The proposed article examines the understudied scientific issue of the role of the postal and telegraph service in Semirechye to monitor the citizens of the empire.This article has reviewed the surveillance process in the Russian Empire, aiming to protect the population from factors that could influence their consciousness.This article aims to determine the implementation of practices of censorship and letter interception (perlustration) in the Russian Empire, as well as the organisation of postal and telegraph institutions and their employees for these purposes.Based on historical data and research, this article has examined the issues of covert surveillance and letter perlustration.This article also discusses the activities of the "Black Chambers" across the empire, the use of postal and telegraph institution employees for covert surveillance by special agencies, and the involvement of local populations in surveillance activities.The materials used for this article include the archives of the Central Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan, regulatory acts, official letters, and statistical reports from postal and telegraph institutions.Surveillance was organized privately from the public, and maintaining trust in communication institutions and their staff was crucial for the successful execution of these activities.A central aspect of this Semirechye activity lacked legislation.