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Time running out for Big Tech firms to register with govt regulators
Companies that fail to register, the ministry claims, will be blocked.
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ime may be running out for global tech giants to register their businesses with the government, which has for months threatened to block noncompliant private electronic service providers (ESPs) amid plans to tighten regulations.
The Communications and Information Ministry has set Wednesday as the deadline for domestic and foreign digital platforms to register under its licensing system. These include social media sites, search engines, fintech firms and data processing services that are accessible in Indonesia. Companies that fail to register, the ministry claims, will be blocked.
The ministry’s applications and information director general, Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, said the policy was aimed at protecting internet users and “creating a healthier” cyberspace in Indonesia.
American multinational tech company Google told The Jakarta Post on Monday that it would seek to comply with the government and register with the Online Single Submission-Risk Based Approach (OSS-RBA) system.
"We are aware of the mandatory registration according to the related regulations and will take appropriate action in an effort to comply," Google said on Monday.
American film and television streaming service Netflix, meanwhile, said it was still communicating with "related parties" regarding the policy. The company did not provide details.
Read also: House needs more time to discuss penalties in privacy bill
By Monday, more than 6,000 domestic private ESPs and about 100 foreign private digital platforms, including Swedish music streaming service Spotify and Chinese short video site TikTok, had registered with the ministry’s licensing system.
The ministerial regulation allows the ministry to mandate the removal of certain types of content, such as media that “incites unrest” or “disturbs public order”, on digital platforms managed by ESPs.
The registered platforms must take down prohibited content within 24 hours of receiving notification from the ministry or within four hours for content containing child pornography or messages supporting terrorism – or if the ministry feels there is an immediate need to remove the content for the sake of public order.
If a platform ignores the ministry’s order, the ministry can order internet service providers to block access to it.
Read also: Indonesia tells Google, Netflix, Twitter to register, or be banned
Critics fear the policy will be used as a tool for government censorship.
Nenden Sekar Arum of the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) said language in the provision such as “causing a public disturbance” and “public disorder” were too vague. She said the ambiguity could further undermine the right to free speech on the internet, which was already under pressure from the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, which has been used to imprison people for forms of online speech.
Under the ministerial regulation, ESPs must also comply with all government orders to provide access to electronic systems for supervision or law enforcement purposes.
The ministry is finalizing other regulations that will set penalties for ESPs that violate its provisions and procedures for appealing those penalties.
