As X has a substantial number of users in Indonesia, the government expects the company owned by Elon Musk to address its request for an official representative or office in the country.
"Yes, this (plan) is being studied by the Directorate General of Informatics Applications because we need special treatment," Communication and Informatics Minister Budi Arie Setiadi said here on Thursday.
The study is being conducted based on the experiences of other countries that have faced a similar challenge with X over a local representative office. Indonesia has chosen Brazil as one of the references for the study.
Brazil blocked access to X after the social media company withdrew its official representative at the end of August 2024. After a month, X agreed to follow the Brazilian government's provisions, and access to the social media platform was reopened.
An efficient communication approach is needed considering that X, previously Twitter, already has a presence in Indonesia -- unlike new platforms that will enter Indonesia, such as TEMU, which was recently studied by the government.
"There are already 25 million users (of X). It will cause a noise (if) the access is suddenly blocked. So, we consider to have another (communication) approach to X," Minister Setiadi pointed out.
He has stated that Indonesia remains firm in its requirement for X to establish a local office, ensuring fairness with other digital platforms like Meta and Google, which have complied with similar requests.
Hokky Situngkir, the director general of applications and informatics at the ministry, emphasized the importance of ongoing coordination between the Indonesian government and X.
"So, we will continue to urge them (X) to set up an office in Indonesia, in line with the regulations governing electronic systems in the country," he added.
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Translator: Livia Kristianti, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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