JAKARTA: Indonesia urged tech companies on Monday to register under new licensing rules, or run the risk of having their platforms blocked, with data showing many big tech firms such as Google and Meta had yet to comply days out from July 20 deadline.
The requirement to register is part of a set of rules, first released in November 2020, that will allow authorities to order platforms to take down content deemed unlawful, or that “disturbs public order” within four hours if considered urgent, and 24 hours if not.
In a text message to Reuters, Communications Minister Johnny G. Plate urged companies to register before sanctions were applied. His ministry said last month that platforms could be blocked if they did not comply.
As of Monday, more than 5,900 domestic companies and 108 foreign companies had registered, including short-video app TikTok and music streaming firm Spotify, according to communications ministry data.
Other platforms such as Alphabet Inc’s Google, Twitter and Meta Platforms Inc, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, have not yet registered.
Spokespeople for Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Google, did not respond to requests for comment.
The new licensing system applies to all domestic and foreign Electronic Service Operators.
The government can also compel companies to reveal communications and personal data of specific users if requested by law enforcement or government agencies.
The government says the new rules have been formulated to ensure Internet service providers protect consumer data, and that online content is used in a “positive and productive” way.
Despite the threat, some analysts doubt whether Indonesian authorities would immediately block platforms operated by non-compliant companies, especially given how widely used some of the platforms are in Indonesia, including by state officials.
With a youthful, digitally savvy population of 270 million, Indonesia is a top-10 market globally by number of users for a host of social media companies, including TikTok, Twitter and Facebook.
Some activists say the new articles related to content posed a threat to privacy and freedom of expression.
“Our analysis shows that this will be the most repressive regulation of its kind in the region,” said Nenden Arum, from digital rights group, the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet).
Minister Plate said the registration requirement was administrative and not about content.
There were an estimated 191 million social media users in Indonesia as of February 2022, according to Statista. Only China and India have more social media users in the Asia Pacific region.
Indonesia urges tech platforms to sign up to new licensing rules or risk being blocked
https://arab.news/8u8zx
Indonesia urges tech platforms to sign up to new licensing rules or risk being blocked
- The requirement to register is part of a set of rules that will allow authorities to order platforms to take down content deemed unlawful, or that “disturbs public order".
Book by jailed Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti set for November release
- Prison letters, photographs and other documents to feature in the book
DUBAI: A new book by jailed Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti is set for publication in November, with Penguin confirmed as the publisher, The Guardian reported.
Titled “Unbroken: In Pursuit of Freedom for Palestine,” the book brings together a selection of Barghouti’s writings, including prison letters, interviews, public statements, conversations with public figures, and other documents and photographs.
It also features excerpts from his book “1,000 Days in Solitary Confinement,” which has so far only been published in Arabic.
Fadwa Barghouti, who wrote the introduction to the book, said she hoped it would allow the world to hear her husband “in his own voice, not through the noise surrounding him.”
She said in a statement: “This book finally makes that possible — and I hope it helps people understand who Marwan Barghouti truly is, and how he embodies the Palestinian struggle for freedom and dignity.”
Barghouti, who has spent over two decades in Israeli prison, is a member of the Fatah party. He has long advocated a two-state solution and is widely regarded as a powerful and unifying voice for Palestinians, with many supporters describing him as “Palestine’s Mandela.”
His detention has prompted repeated international advocacy efforts over the years.
In December 2025, an open letter calling for his release was signed by hundreds of celebrities, including Margaret Atwood, Philip Pullman, Zadie Smith and Annie Ernaux; actors Sir Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Josh O’Connor, Mark Ruffalo and Stephen Fry; and musicians Sting, Paul Simon, Brian Eno and Annie Lennox.
In November 2025, his family and several UK-based human rights advocates ran a campaign that included demonstrations and public art installations in Palestine and London.
Barghouti has been jailed by Israel since 2004, having been handed five life sentences plus 40 years for his role during the second Palestinian uprising. He has spent significant time in solitary confinement, has been denied visits by his family for three years, and has been denied access to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
His name was on a list of prisoners to be exchanged for Israeli captives in October 2025, but Israel declined to release him.
