The government of Indonesia plans to prohibit popular social media platforms and websites like Facebook, Google, and WhatsApp.
On Tuesday, the nation's Ministry of Communications and Information warned them that if they didn't register, their access would be terminated in a few days.
The ministry gave the big IT companies until Wednesday to finish the licensing registration process; if they didn't, the government would declare them to be illegal and unlawful in Indonesia.
“We have warned all local and foreign tech companies, including online services, sites, and application providers, many times that they have to register if they do not want to risk being blocked.
“We have given them time since six months ago,’’ the ministry’s Director General for Information Applications, Semuel Abrijani told reporters.
The registration is part of the country’s new regulation starting from January 2022, saying all tech platforms must secure licenses to be able to operate.
This rule would give the government the power to require platforms to remove any content that they regarded to be "disturb public order," either immediately if it is deemed urgent or after 24 hours if it is not.
Currently, Indonesia's government is working to stop the dissemination of false information and hoaxes, especially in the run-up to the nation's general election in 2024.
Source: NAN
