The Indonesian government on July 30, 2022, issued a decree banning several digital gaming and online platforms, including Steam, PayPal, Battlenet, and the Epic Games Store. The ban is effective immediately, sending shockwaves among Indonesian netizens.
The embargo comes after the approval of a new law that requires online platforms and other websites to apply for a permit to operate in the country.
Local and foreign businesses that fail to comply with this new law will be unable to provide services due to an official ban by the Ministry of Information.
Indonesian gamers were up in arms on Twitter expressing their displeasure at the sudden ban.
Indonesian human rights organization SAFEnet said,
“ These new rules pose a huge privacy risk and have the potential for human rights violations.”
Members of Indonesia’s eSports community and small business representatives also expressed their concern against the newly imposed measures.
According to data available from real-time network monitoring tools, the vast majority of Indonesia’s leading ISPs are now throttling or blocking access to a range of popular websites and services. Consequently, VPN services are being proposed as a solution to circumvent online censorship.
The websites and services that seem to be affected include social media platforms and news sites.
This is not the first time that the Indonesian government has imposed internet restrictions. In 2016, they implemented a similar set of restrictions for a limited period.
As of now, there are 202 million internet users contributing $70 billion to Indonesia’s digital economy in 2021, with $146 billion projected in 2025. The country has been a key driver of global economic growth in recent years, and its digital economy is expected to play a significant role in the years ahead. Concerns remain about how Indonesian netizens will deal with the present embargo.
PureVPN
November 24, 2022
1 year ago