Indonesia Urges TikTok, Meta to Curb Harmful Content Online

Indonesia has summoned Meta, TikTok, and other social media platforms, asking them to step up content moderation.

Deputy communication Minister, Angga Raka Prabowo, told Reuters that disinformation on these platforms has had fueled public anger and triggered protests against the government.

He further mentions that if these platforms pertain pornography and online gambling without government approval could face penalties, including fines, temporary suspension, or even revocation of their operating licenses.

Angga said examples of disinformation included a deepfake of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati calling teachers a burden, and old Jakarta riot footage mislabelled as recent.

He noted this circulated during Monday’s protest, where hundreds clashed with police and some under-18s were arrested over parliament pay perks.

According to Child Protection Commission some of the detained youth had joined the protest after watching TikTok videos.

The government will meet TikTok and Meta this week and has invited X and YouTube Indonesia.