Indonesia blocks Yahoo, PayPal and others for non-compliance with licensing rules
Indonesia has blocked web portal Yahoo, payments firm PayPal and a number of gaming websites as they neglected to comply with licensing rules, Reuters cited Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, an official at Indonesia’s communications ministry, as saying on July 30.
The requirement to register is part of a set of rules which were first released in November 2020. They would allow authorities to order platforms to take down content deemed unlawful or “disturbing public order.”
The ministry has repeatedly warned that it would block web platforms in the country for non-compliance and has set a deadline of July 20, 2022.
Sign-up in the last moment
While a number of international and domestic tech companies readily obliged to the rule, others including Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Amazon registered only in the last moment in a move largely seen as a compromise to retain access to Indonesia as an important market with around 200 million Internet users.
Others which omitted to sign-up to the licensing rules have been blocked, including Yahoo, PayPal and gaming sites like Steam, Dota2, Counter-Strike and EpicGames, among others, Pangerapan said.
Many Indonesian netizens have criticised the government’s move as hurting Indonesia’s online gaming industry and impacting freelance workers who use Paypal.
Under investigation
According to the ministry, close to 9,000 tech companies have registered their platforms with the government while 55 others are under investigation for allegedly providing false information during the application procedures.
Pangerapan underlined that access to the blocked websites will be reopened if they complete the registration process.
“So it depends on them. Once they register, we will lift the suspension,” he said.
Indonesia has blocked web portal Yahoo, payments firm PayPal and a number of gaming websites as they neglected to comply with licensing rules, Reuters cited Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, an official at Indonesia’s communications ministry, as saying on July 30. The requirement to register is part of a set of rules which were first released in November 2020. They would allow authorities to order platforms to take down content deemed unlawful or “disturbing public order.” The ministry has repeatedly warned that it would block web platforms in the country for non-compliance and has set a deadline of July 20, 2022. Sign-up...
Indonesia has blocked web portal Yahoo, payments firm PayPal and a number of gaming websites as they neglected to comply with licensing rules, Reuters cited Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, an official at Indonesia’s communications ministry, as saying on July 30.
The requirement to register is part of a set of rules which were first released in November 2020. They would allow authorities to order platforms to take down content deemed unlawful or “disturbing public order.”
The ministry has repeatedly warned that it would block web platforms in the country for non-compliance and has set a deadline of July 20, 2022.
Sign-up in the last moment
While a number of international and domestic tech companies readily obliged to the rule, others including Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Amazon registered only in the last moment in a move largely seen as a compromise to retain access to Indonesia as an important market with around 200 million Internet users.
Others which omitted to sign-up to the licensing rules have been blocked, including Yahoo, PayPal and gaming sites like Steam, Dota2, Counter-Strike and EpicGames, among others, Pangerapan said.
Many Indonesian netizens have criticised the government’s move as hurting Indonesia’s online gaming industry and impacting freelance workers who use Paypal.
Under investigation
According to the ministry, close to 9,000 tech companies have registered their platforms with the government while 55 others are under investigation for allegedly providing false information during the application procedures.
Pangerapan underlined that access to the blocked websites will be reopened if they complete the registration process.
“So it depends on them. Once they register, we will lift the suspension,” he said.
