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View all search resultsGovt denies censoring wildfire posts on social media
Indonesian netizens have been reporting of having their content about widespread forest and peatland fires on several social media platforms getting shadow banned or taken down in the past week.
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A protester holds a banner that reads “Put out the fire, not people's voice!“ during a demonstration marking the second anniversary of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's administration at the Tugu Tani monument in Central Jakarta on Oct. 20, 2026. (Antara/Fauzan)
T
he government has denied claims it is censoring social media content critical of its handling of wildfires in Kalimantan and Sumatra, as Jakarta continues to face a backlash amid public frustration over a regional haze crisis.
Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid denied the government had taken down or requested social media platforms to remove online posts containing information about forest and peatland fires.
“The government is open to factual, credible and accountable information about the wildfires,” Meutya said on Wednesday.
The statement came as more people reported shadow bans, a practice whereby a user or their content is hidden from some or all other users without the poster’s knowledge, and online content takedowns, particularly after posting posts expressing criticism of the government’s perceived sluggish wildfire response.
Such practices were reported by users of Instagram and Threads, which are operated by tech firm Meta, as well as TikTok.
Other users have also raised concerns over their algorithmic content feeds that had allegedly been moderated to limit the distribution of posts containing critical voices on the issue of wildfires.
Meutya denied accusations that her ministry also had a hand in moderating social media algorithms. She instead claimed the government has been pushing platforms for “transparency and accountability” in regulating their algorithms.
