Due to license violations, Indonesia disables websites for Yahoo, PayPal, and gaming
JAKARTA, the 30th of July – An official said on Saturday that Indonesia has blacklisted various gaming websites, the search engine website Yahoo, the payments business PayPal (PYPL.O), and other websites because they failed to comply with licence standards. This announcement sparked an outcry on social media.
According to the rules that were published at the end of November 2020, registration will be necessary. These rules will also give authorities broad powers to compel platforms to disclose data of certain users and to remove content that is deemed unlawful or that “disturbs public order” within four hours if the matter is urgent and within 24 hours if it is not. continue reading
In the days leading up to the registration deadline, many technology companies, including Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s (GOOGL.O) Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and Meta Platforms Inc.’s (META.O) Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, hurriedly submitted their applications. The deadline was extended until Friday (AMZN.O). continue reading
A senior official at Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications named Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan claimed in a text message that a number of websites, including Steam, Dota2, Counter-Strike, and EpicGames, are among those that have been banned. Other websites on the list include Yahoo and PayPal.
Requests for comments were sent to PayPal, the private equity company Apollo Global Management, and the United States-based game developer Valve Corporation; however, none of these entities responded quickly. Valve is responsible for the operation of Steam, Dota, and Counter-Strike. It was not possible to contact EpicGames for a comment.
On Indonesian Twitter, trending hashtags included “BlokirKominfo” (block Communication Ministry), Epic Games, and PayPal. Many users posted messages criticising the move of the Indonesian government, stating that it will hurt the country’s online gaming industry as well as freelance workers who use PayPal.
In an interview with Metro TV, Pangerapan said that the government would find a way for consumers to withdraw their deposits from PayPal. This may include temporarily restoring access to the website of the payment service for a limited time.
He said that the websites will be unblocked by the authorities if they complied with the registration regulations. He defended the move by saying that it provided protection for Indonesian internet users.
The country in Southeast Asia is an important market for a variety of technological platforms due to its large population of young people who are proficient in social media and its estimated 191 million internet users.
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