All social media platforms are required to comply with state regulations, Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid stated in Badung, Bali, on Thursday.
"One requirement that must be met is sending representatives and establishing an office in Indonesia. We have repeated this many times to those that have not yet complied," Hafid stressed.
Since 2024, the government has been urging the platform, owned by Elon Musk, to meet this requirement. However, no office has been set up so far.
Hafid explained that the absence of local representatives makes it difficult for the government to coordinate with X and address pressing issues such as hoaxes, misinformation, and hate speech.
"Also pornography. Every day, we receive reports about pornographic content involving children, human trafficking, and bullying against children, which is rampant," she elaborated.
Related news: Protecting children from online sexual exploitation threats
Related news: 1.3M porn, online gambling content removed by Komdigi Ministry
The minister added that social media platforms are also needed to support national programs, such as eradicating online gambling, since the activity heavily relies on these platforms for promotion and advertisements.
"(Efforts to eliminate) online gambling heavily depend on platform owners, as these platforms serve as hubs for fraud and crime," she noted.
In response to X’s inaction, Hafid said the government will evaluate the platform. However, she did not comment on suggestions to block X if it continues to resist compliance.
"I am sure that a platform as big as this, with global coverage, will eventually comply with Indonesia’s legal requirements. We will continue to communicate," she said.
She emphasized that while the government respects freedom of expression on social media, platforms must enforce content limitations and monitor what they allow to be shown to the public.
Related news: Indonesian Govt asks X to follow rules on pornographic content
Related news: Ministry to reprimand digital platforms advertising online gambling
Translator: Ni Putu Putri Muliantari, Mecca Yumna
Editor: M Razi Rahman
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
