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Resty Woro Yuniar

What happens when a democracy begins to fear its own internet? In Indonesia, that question is no longer hypothetical, as the government threatens to pull the plug on major online platforms many of its people rely upon.
When Jakarta warned last month that it could block major platforms like Cloudflare and Wikipedia, the move was justified as a crackdown on online gambling – a vice officially outlawed in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
But for tech industry players and free-speech advocates, the move was something else entirely: another step in the state’s steady expansion of power over the digital realm.
The order came on November 17 from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, which demanded that 25 global companies – among them Cloudflare, Wikipedia, ChatGPT, Duolingo, Dropbox and Getty Images – comply with a registration requirement introduced under a 2020 ministerial regulation.

In theory, the rule helps authorities track and manage illicit online activity. In practice, critics say it hands sweeping powers to the government to decide which platforms stay visible and which may vanish overnight from Indonesia’s internet.
Officials singled out Cloudflare, an American digital infrastructure provider that protects websites from cyberattacks, as a key offender. The ministry said its services had been used by thousands of gambling websites, accounting for more than three-quarters of the 10,000 domains it blocked this year.
“The majority of online gambling sites hide behind Cloudflare,” Alexander Sabar, director general of digital supervision at the ministry, told reporters on November 19. “They know Cloudflare provides strong protection, making it difficult to take them down simply by blocking [them].”
Not only had Cloudflare not registered, it had no official representative or server in Indonesia, Sabar said.
“Our request is simple. Cloudflare must filter and no longer accept service requests from sites that are clearly detrimental to the Indonesian public, particularly online gambling sites,” he added.

Indonesia’s regulation obliges every online entity, from massive global platforms to small blogs, to register with the authorities, theoretically placing more than 1.8 billion websites under potential state oversight. Rights groups describe the rule as impossible to enforce and ripe for abuse.
“Mandating registration for all without exception is an impossible regulation to enforce and ineffective in combating the spread of illegal and harmful content in the digital space,” the Coalition for Democratisation and Moderation of Indonesian Digital Space said in a statement on November 21.
The regulation “contains articles that are open to multiple interpretations and is a threat to privacy”, it added.
‘Burning the barn’
Indonesia has long been pushing for “digital sovereignty”, an ethos that prioritises controlling digital infrastructure, data and technology to ensure it benefits the nation and is not solely dependent on foreign influence.
Such policies mirror trends across Southeast Asia, where governments increasingly frame online regulation as necessary protection against disinformation, extremism and gambling. But digital innovation advocates warn that Indonesia’s model is blurring the line between law enforcement and censorship.
“Digital platforms’ jurisdiction over their content, policies and user data practices are being undermined by this regulation,” said Hafiz Noer, head of Gadjah Mada University’s Centre for Digital Society.

The rules gave Indonesia’s government “the authority to take down content that is deemed disturbing to the public”, he said. “This is prone to being used for political purposes.”
Jakarta has blocked internet services before. In 2022, it briefly cut off access to PayPal and the gaming platform Steam after they failed to register on time, triggering a nationwide backlash.
“We can’t imagine what would happen if Cloudflare was blocked. The impact on society would be severe,” said Hafizh Nabiyyin of the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network, noting that countless government and media websites rely on the service.
“It’s like the government wants to kill rats by burning down the rice barn.”
The real threat
Cloudflare officials met ministry representatives late last month, pledging to study the regulation further and build reporting channels for content moderation, Sabar said in a statement on November 26.
But the stand-off has left ordinary Indonesians uneasy about the arbitrariness of state action and the future of their digital access.
“Wikipedia, Duolingo and ChatGPT are not a threat,” wrote one user on social media. “What is a threat is the state’s inability to crack down on online gambling!”
Transparency advocates agree that the core problem is not foreign platforms, but domestic accountability.
Investigations have found that these gambling sites involve officials
Hafizh Nabiyyin, digital rights campaigner
“Investigations have found that these gambling sites involve officials,” Hafizh said. “This is what must be dealt with firmly. Law enforcement must take firm action against officials who provide [backing] for these gambling businesses.”
Aribowo Sasmito, co-founder of the anti-misinformation group Mafindo, said it was reasonable for authorities to seek greater transparency from tech firms but argued that complex registration rules were keeping many from complying.
“The internet is quite difficult to regulate,” Aribowo said. “I’m sure they don’t mean to intentionally not register.”
Proponents of tougher rules argue that the state has a duty to protect Indonesia’s more than 220 million internet users from harmful or illegal content.
But critics fear that good intentions have become a gateway to unchecked power, with Indonesia’s digital future set to be shaped by the contest between control and openness for years to come.


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Indonesia

Jakarta vs the internet: Indonesia’s gamble with digital freedom

Young men play online games and surf the internet at a cyber cafe in Jakarta last month. Photo: AFP

OpenAI’s AI chatbot ChatGPT is among the services Indonesia has threatened to block. Photo: dpa

Cloudflare’s headquarters. Indonesian officials say the company enables illegal gambling. Photo: AP 

Local officials hang a banner discouraging people from online gambling outside a government building in Bogor, West Java, last year. Photo: AFP

Indonesia targets violent video games after mosque bombing – but can a ban curb extremism?

A phone displaying the military shooter video game “PUBG”, which Indonesian officials said would be targeted in a potential crackdown on violent video games. Photo: AFP

A toy firearm lies with other evidence during a police press conference regarding the bombing that occurred at a Jakarta High School mosque on November 7. Photo: Reuters

Students using their phones to work on an online exercise at a high school in Jakarta. Photo: AP

Indonesia’s bid for social media control raises alarm about future of digital freedom

People use their phones while walking on a street in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 19. Photo: AFP

Officials are exploring the idea of restricting Indonesians to just one account per social media platform as a way to counter online fraud. Photo: Shutterstock

A snack vendor uses his phone while waiting for customers in Jakarta on September 19. Digital rights advocate Hafizh Nabiyyin says Indonesia’s proposed regulation reflects “an authoritarian and anti-democracy mindset”. Photo: AFP

Will Indonesia’s plan to restrict children’s access to social media succeed?

Young girls use their mobile phones as they visit Lampuuk beach on the outskirts of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, in December 2024. Photo: AP

Indonesia’s Communications Minister Meutya Hafid (right) talks to students during the launch of President Prabowo Subianto’s free-meal programme for children and pregnant women on January 6. Photo: AP

Students use their mobile phones to work on an online exercise at a high school in Jakarta, Indonesia, in January 2024. Photo: AP

Indonesian government officials have announced plans to issue child protection guidelines for social media platforms. Photo: TNS

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As the government demands global tech firms like Cloudflare bend to its will, critics say it’s ‘burning the rice barn to kill the rats’


As the government demands global tech firms like Cloudflare bend to its will, critics say it’s ‘burning the rice barn to kill the rats’.


Jakarta vs the internet: Indonesia’s gamble with digital freedom

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As the government demands global tech firms like Cloudflare bend to its will, critics say it’s ‘burning the rice barn to kill the rats’

As the government demands global tech firms like Cloudflare bend to its will, critics say it’s ‘burning the rice barn to kill the rats’