Internet Freedom in Indonesia is Teetering on a Razor's Edge
Late last month, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (KOMINFO) announced a sudden July 20 deadline for online actors to register with the ministry or face consequences. This includes social media companies, search engines, messaging services, mobile applications, and nearly any other online service or application.
This week, as the deadline approaches, Indonesia is poised to bring about one of the most repressive internet governance regimes in the world. Should Indonesia proceed, it could inspire a cascade of further repressive laws and policies in the region.
The registration order from KOMINFO is a step toward implementing Ministerial Regulation 5 (2020) and its amendment to Ministerial Regulation 10 (2021). They impose content moderation rules severely at odds with internationally recognized human rights norms on the freedom of expression and access to information online, as outlined in a detailed analysis that ARTICLE 19 conducted last year.
Regulation 5 establishes that “private electronic service operators” (ESOs) must register with the ministry. This includes foreign companies or individuals servicing online users in Indonesia. Failure to register risks subjecting websites and online services to geo-blocking, an impediment to the expression and information rights of the people of Indonesia.
As part of the registration process, private ESOs must designate at least one “contact person” in Indonesia who will liaise with the ministry and other government institutions. Requirements to designate local contact persons to raise the risk of pressure or arbitrary reprisal for failures to comply. Read More...
