TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Be careful what you tweet: Social media users in Indonesia reported for criticizing government
The Communications and Information Ministry and the police have been monitoring social media and its users for posts that violate the 2016 Electronic Information and Transactions Law.
Change Size
The Communications and Information Ministry and the police have been monitoring social media and its users for posts that violate the 2016 Electronic Information and Transactions Law. (Shutterstock/mrmohock )
I
t was an unusual morning for National Mandate Party (PAN) politician Dian Fatwa on July 29, when she received an email from Twitter’s legal team informing her that the Communications and Information Ministry had claimed that one of her tweets violated the 2016 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law.
The tweet in question, published on June 15, criticizes the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) over its statement in a report published by gelora.co. The agency said it could not protect witnesses from losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto’s camp during a recent trial over a dispute of the presidential election result at the Constitutional Court.
“What are their jobs if they can’t protect witnesses and expert witnesses [during the trial]? I’m seriously asking,” tweeted Dian, who served as a member of the Prabowo campaign team during the election.
According to the email, the ministry claimed the tweet violated Article 28 of the ITE Law, which prohibits the distribution of false information.
“I suspect this has something to do with my past position as the person for the opposing camp during the presidential election, because I think my tweet is still appropriate,” Dian told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Ministry spokesperson Ferdinandus Setu declined to comment on Dian’s case, saying only he “has yet to receive information on it from the relevant directorate general”.
Despite the warning letter, Dian said she could still use her account without any problems. “I can still post my tweets. There has been no suspension whatsoever from Twitter.”
