Indonesia on Friday temporarily suspended the registration of social media platform TikTok, as the app failed to provide complete data on livestreaming activities during August’s nationwide protests.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Application (Komdigi) reported that it has temporarily suspended the Electronic System Operator Registration Certificate of TikTok Pte Ltd.
Komdigi Director General of Digital Space Supervision, Alexander Sabar, said that the ministry requested for the complete data of livestreaming activities, monetisation, and traffic, as well as the value of gifts collected from TikTok lives.
The request was due to reports of online gambling-related accounts, who used the TikTok live feature to monetise the late August protests.
“This measure is the government’s firm response after TikTok only provided partial data on TikTok Live activities during the protests on August 25–30,” the Indonesia Business Post quoted the Komdigi director general as saying.
While reiterating that the license suspension is not a full ban, the government said that the move served as a sanction, as the app is still accessible in the country, as well as its livestreaming function.
The ministry highlighted that if private electronic system operators wish to operate in Indonesia, compliance to the law is necessary.
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Data sharing failure
According to Sabar, the video-sharing platform was sanctioned under the Article 21(1) of Ministerial Regulation No. 5/2020 on Private Electronic System Operators.
The law requires digital platforms to provide the government complete electronic systems and data that will be used for supervising purposes.
In a formal letter on September 23, TikTok wrote that it cannot provide the requested data, as the internal policies of the company prevent the compliance.
“Komdigi is committed to protecting national legal sovereignty in digital governance, including shielding vulnerable groups, especially children and teenagers, from the misuse of digital features for illegal activities,” said Sabar.
The director general stressed that the suspension was meant to protect the public from digital technology abuse and keep Indonesia’s digital transformation safe.
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Hazel Camba 
Shameeka Voyiya 
Newsjustnews writers