Yahoo and Paypal blocked in Indonesia for non-compliance with licensing rules

Indonesia has blocked the website of search engine Yahoo, payment company Paypal and several gaming websites over non-compliance with licensing rules, an official said on Saturday, sparking a backlash on social media .

Registration is required under rules published at the end of November 2020 and will give authorities sweeping powers to compel platforms to release certain users’ data and remove content deemed illegal or “disturbing public order” within four months. hours if they are urgent and within 24 hours otherwise.

Several tech companies had rushed to register in the days leading up to the deadline, which was extended to Friday, including Alphabet, Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and Amazon.

Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, a senior official with the Indonesian Ministry of Communications, said in a text message that blocked websites include Yahoo, Paypal and gaming sites like Steam, Dota 2, Counter-Strike and Epic Games, among others.

Paypal, Yahoo’s parent private equity firm Apollo Global Management, and US game developer Valve, which runs 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 Communication), Epic Games, and Paypal were trending on Indonesian Twitter, with many written posts criticizing the government’s decision as harming the Indonesian online gambling industry and businesses. 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 major market for a host of tech platforms.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

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