The Silicon Review ^Asia

Google and Twitter are not on the communications ministry list as they are yet to register

Alphabet Inc's Google and Twitter Inc. are yet to sign Indonesia's new licensing rules. The Ministry said that the deadlines are looming close, and this might mean that their services may be temporarily blocked in Indonesia. New rules released in late 2020 mandate registration, and it gives authorities broad powers to compel media platforms to disclose data of certain users and to also take down content that is deemed unlawful or data that "disturbs public order" within four hours if urgent, and 24 hours if not. The communications ministry said that companies that do not register before the deadline on Wednesday would be warned, fined, and then eventually blocked - the decision will be reversed once they register.

As of midday Wednesday, Google and Twitter are not on the communications ministry list of foreign providers that have agreed to the new rules. Google and Twitter have not responded to requests for comment. Meta Platforms Inc's units Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp registered on Tuesday, while other services like Spotify, Netflix, and ByteDance's TikTok have also signed up, according to the Ministry's records. With a young, tech-savvy population of 10 million, Indonesia is one of the top 10 markets in terms of user numbers for a host of social media companies.