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Indonesia has blocked the websites of search engine Yahoo, payments company Paypal and several gaming websites for failing to comply with licensing rules, an official said on Saturday, sparking an outcry on social media.
The registration is required under rules published in late November 2020 and will give authorities broad powers to compel platforms to release certain users’ data and remove content deemed illegal or “disrupting public order” within four hours if it is urgent and within 24 hours, if not.
Several technology companies rushed to register in the days leading up to the deadline, which was extended to Friday, including Alphabet Inc, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and Amazon.com Inc.
Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, a senior official at Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications, said in a text message that blocked sites include Yahoo, Paypal and gaming sites such as Steam, Dota2, Counter-Strike and EpicGames, among others.
Paypal, Yahoo’s parent private equity firm Apollo Global Management and American game developer Valve Corporation, which operates Steam, Dota and Counter-Strike, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Epic Games could not be reached for comment.
Hashtags such as “BlokirKominfo” (block the Ministry of Communications), Epic Games and Paypal were trending on Indonesian Twitter, with many reports criticizing the government’s move as hurting Indonesia’s online gaming industry and freelancers who use Paypal.
Pangerapan did not respond to a request for comment.
With an estimated 191 million internet users and a young, social media-savvy population, the Southeast Asian nation is a significant market for a number of technology platforms.
