Indonesia warns TikTok and Meta: Act on disinformation or face fines, suspension

The Indonesian government has summoned the representatives of major social media platforms including TikTok and Meta . As reported by Reuters, the government has demanded these platforms to take strong action against the spread of misleading and harmful content online. The move comes with the increase in the number of provocative posts which circulate disinformation and lead of public unrest.

Disinformation fuels protests and deepfakes
As per the Reuters report, the deputy communications minister Angga Raka Prabowo said platforms like TikTok and Instagram have played a major role in the spread of misinformation and false narratives, which includes deepfake videos and mislabelled footage of past riots. The viral clip also falsely show the Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati criticizing teachers.

The report adds that this misinformation has led to real-world consequences such as violent demonstrations and arrest of minors.

Government demands proactive moderation
The officials are asking the platforms to remove content related to disinformation, pronogrpahy and online gambling. They must comply with the rules because our goal is to protect this country. Penalties in the rules are reprimands, fines, temporary suspension, revoking of access or even kicking them out from a list of registered electronic platforms," Angga told Reuters.