Maudey Khalisha, Jakarta – The government has asserted its regulatory authority over social media platforms with an unannounced visit to the Jakarta office of the United States social media giant Meta.

Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid led the visit on Wednesday, summoning representatives of the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp over what she described as the platform's failure to curb online gambling, disinformation, slander and hate speech.

The government said it found that Meta's "compliance rate" in responding to official notifications on illegal or harmful content stood at just 28.47 percent, far below expectations, given the company's massive user base in the country, estimated at around 112 million for both Facebook and WhatsApp.

According to the ministry, Meta is one of the least compliant social media platforms operating in Indonesia.

Meutya said the direct inspection was prompted by the company's failure to adequately respond to repeated contacts from the authorities.

"The DFK content threatens the lives of the Indonesian people, but Meta casually allows it," Meutya said on Wednesday, referring to disinformation, slander and hate speech.

Authorities have expressed particular concern about the alleged proliferation of illegal and harmful content on Meta's platforms, such as posts promoting online gambling, health-related misinformation, digital fraud and sexual exploitation.

Aside from demanding the removal of certain content, the government wants greater transparency regarding the company's algorithms and moderation systems.

Meutya said Meta had also been asked to improve reporting mechanisms and strengthen oversight of its platform operations in Indonesia.

The government argues that allowing disinformation to spread unchecked not merely creates confusion in society but also fuels polarization by intensifying social divisions and risks undermining democracy by weakening public trust in institutions and disrupting social stability.

Responding to the government's concerns, Meta's public policy head for Indonesia, Berni Moestafa, said the company has been willing to follow up on the meeting with the authorities.

"Of course, at Meta, we strive to ensure that our platforms remain safe for all people in Indonesia," Berni said on Wednesday, as quoted by Kumparan.

"And we have expressed our commitment to follow up on what was discussed and conveyed by the minister, so that we can make improvements that are expected to make our platforms safer for all of us," he added.

Article 40 of Law No. 1/2024 on electronic information and transactions (ITE) grants the government the authority to tackle the distribution of unlawful electronic information.

Under the regulation, electronic system providers operating in Indonesia are required to comply with national laws and ensure the safety of the country's digital space.

The government has demonstrated its willingness to take firm action against global tech platforms, most recently by temporarily blocking access to xAI's Grok chatbot after users used the AI feature to produce pornographic content on social media platform X.

Ardi Sutedja, a cybersecurity and cyber-resilience practitioner as well as chairman of the Indonesia Cyber Security Forum (ICSF), said the government's office visit to Meta signaled its determination to assert its authority in regulating global digital platforms operating in the country.

"[The ministry] is trying to reaffirm its authority, particularly in handling disinformation, so that it is not merely a formal regulator but also able to act as a guardian of national interests in the digital era," Ardi told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

"The inspection of Meta's office is a symbol of that effort, a message that the government will not tolerate ignoring content that has the potential to damage the social, political and economic order of the nation," he said.

Ardi noted that Indonesia's regulatory efforts had been complicated by the signing of the US – Indonesia Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART).

The agreement, he said, strengthened the bargaining position of US technology companies like Meta, Google-owner Alphabet and Amazon in regulatory discussions with the government, particularly through provisions related to cross-border data flows and investment protection.

"Global technology companies, such as Meta, must understand and respect local norms, culture and regulations. They should not hide behind international agreements to ignore their social responsibilities in the countries where they operate," Ardi said.

At the same time, Ardi cautioned that the Indonesian government had to strike a careful balance between regulatory enforcement and maintaining a healthy investment climate to facilitate Indonesia's digital transformation.

He added that, while the ART created more room for US technology companies to operate in Indonesia, that did not mean the country loses control over its digital space.

Instead, the agreement should be seen as an opportunity to strengthen Indonesia's regulatory framework and clarify enforcement mechanisms, so that all companies, domestic and foreign, complied with the same rules.

"Ultimately, Indonesia must be able to show the world that digital sovereignty is an inseparable part of national sovereignty," Ardi insisted.

"International agreements such as the ART should be interpreted as an opportunity to strengthen Indonesia's position in the global arena, not as a threat to the integrity of its digital space."

Civil society and industry groups have warned that the agreement could narrow Indonesia's digital regulatory space, weakening local control over platforms and data governance.

Under Article 3.3, Jakarta commits to refraining from requiring US digital service providers to support domestic news organizations through licensing, data-sharing or profit-sharing schemes, a provision seen as potentially clashing with Presidential Regulation No. 32/2024 on publisher rights.

Media and digital policy groups caution that the clause could erode Indonesian publishers' bargaining power, weaken platform accountability and tilt the digital economy further toward US technology giants.

Source: https://asianews.network/indonesian-government-confronts-meta-over-compliance