Tuesday saw Google and Meta Platforms agree to sign up to Indonesia’s stringent new Internet regulations, reported Bloomberg. This comes a day ahead of their implementation from July 20th. Only a few days earlier, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Informatics stated that it would block internet companies that fail to register with the Ministry under the rules by the Wednesday deadline. The registration process started in January 2022. Blocking may be reversed if companies later decide to register. 'If they don't sign up, it's their loss. That means they don't see Indonesia as their market potential,' said Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, Director General of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Applications on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters. ‘Ministerial Regulation 5’, issued in November 2020, gives the Indonesian government wide powers to 'protect' users from 'prohibited' content, by taking down content that is either unlawful or that threatens public order. Registered internet companies will be compelled to ‘hand over user data and comply with government content moderation orders.’ It further permits the Indonesian government to tax the sale of digital goods. The law was reportedly framed in response to 'misinformation' online, ranging from 'fraud' to 'spurious' information on COVID-19. Stakeholders have raised concerns that broadly defined 'prohibited' content could lead to proactive censorship online by over-zealous Internet companies. The two Big Tech giants were some of the last to register themselves under the rules in the country—following in the footsteps of Spotify, Netflix, and TikTok. According to government records, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram…
