Meta Platforms and Google agreed to abide by Indonesia’s new rules for Big Tech which gives authorities the power to block social media applications and online sites, this Tuesday. The tech giants were given a deadline of Tuesday for their submissions. Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, according to government records have signed up before the Wednesday deadline.
The tech giants were warned to block by the Indonesian authorities for several days if they fail to register with the country’s minister of Communications and Informatics. The digital giants are given time until Wednesday to complete the registration for licensing. Otherwise, they will be labelled as illegal and unlawful by the ministry in the country.
The reporters on Tuesday were told by the ministry's Director General for Information Applications Semuel Abrijani "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 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. The regulation will allow the authorities to order the platforms to take down any contents considered unlawful, inappropriate and "disturb public order", within four hours if deemed urgent, and 24 hours if not.
The Indonesian government is currently aiming to minimise the spreading of misinformation and hoaxes, particularly ahead of the country's general election in 2024, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.
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