Online safety & content laws in Indonesia (2026)

Legal framework

Law No. 11/2008 on Electronic Information and Transactions (UU ITE), as amended by Law No. 19/2016 and Law No. 1/2024; Ministerial Regulation (Kominfo/Komdigi) No. 5/2020 (MR5) on Private Electronic System Operators; and Government Regulation No. 17/2025 (PP Tunas) on Child Protection in Electronic Systems. Regulator: Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi, formerly Kominfo).

Key points: internet & online safety in Indonesia

1. 01UU ITE (Electronic Information & Transactions Law)

   The core statute (Law 11/2008, amended by Law 19/2016 and Law 1/2024) criminalises online defamation, hate speech, 'immoral' content, gambling and false information. The 2024 second amendment narrowed defamation, lowered maximum sentences from four to two years, and added specific provisions on false announcements and hate distribution.

   hoganlovells.com freedomhouse.org

2. 02MR5 platform registration & rapid takedowns

   Ministerial Regulation 5/2020 requires all Private Electronic System Operators (social media, search, e-commerce, games) accessible in Indonesia to register with Komdigi and comply with content-removal orders — within 4 hours for 'urgent' content and 24 hours otherwise. Non-registrants can be blocked; MR5 enforcement previously blocked services such as PayPal and Steam, and in 2026 blocked Wikimedia's authentication domain.

   article19.org diff.wikimedia.org

3. 03PP Tunas — child online-safety regulation

   Government Regulation No. 17/2025 (PP Tunas), effective from 1 April 2025 with social-media age rules enforced from 28 March 2026, requires platforms to implement age verification, age-appropriate design, risk assessments and parental controls. Children under 16 are barred from 'high-risk' platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, Roblox) except with parental consent for the 16–17 band.

   loc.gov ssek.com jurist.org

4. 04SAMAN takedown system & fines

   Komdigi operates the SAMAN mechanism to issue takedown orders to major platforms (Meta, TikTok, X, YouTube). Non-compliance can trigger administrative fines of up to IDR 500 million (~USD 29,000) per item and access blocking. Komdigi reported in 2026 that platform compliance with takedown requests was only about 20%, prompting pressure on global platforms to open local offices.

   qoo10.co.id restofworld.org

5. 05Intermediary liability & 'prohibited' content

   Under MR5 and the ITE Law, platforms are liable for user-generated content they fail to remove after government notice. The definition of 'prohibited' or 'negative' content is broad — encompassing pornography, gambling, hate, disinformation and content 'disturbing public order' — and has been criticised by ARTICLE 19, EFF and Access Now as overly wide and vulnerable to abuse against political speech.

   eff.org accessnow.org

6. 06Regulator & institutional reshaping

   The lead regulator was renamed from Kominfo to the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) in 2024 under the Prabowo administration, with an expanded digital-governance mandate covering content moderation, platform registration, child protection and coordination with the OJK and the new Personal Data Protection Authority.

   en.antaranews.com marketech-apac.com

Timeline of decisions

1. 28 Mar 2026Enforcement
   Child age-restriction rules take effect for high-risk platforms

   Indonesia began enforcing GR 17/2025's tiered age limits, barring under-16s from high-risk digital platforms and requiring age verification and parental consent; regulators noted few platforms were fully compliant at the start. It marks Indonesia's first hard rollout of child-specific online access controls.

   Jakarta Globe

2. 28 Mar 2025Law
   Government Regulation 17/2025 on child protection online signed

   President Prabowo Subianto signed GR 17/2025, imposing duties on electronic system operators to protect minors via risk-based age tiers (16 for high-risk, 13 for lower-risk services), age verification, abuse reporting, and data-protection safeguards. It is Indonesia's first dedicated online child-safety framework.

   SSEK Law Firm

3. 2 Jan 2024Law
   Second Amendment to the ITE Law (Law No. 1 of 2024) signed

   The President signed the second amendment to the 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions Law, revising contested criminal provisions, raising fines, and requiring electronic certification service providers to be Indonesian-domiciled legal entities, reshaping rules governing the digital space and electronic trust services.

   Hogan Lovells

4. 2 Jan 2024Law
   Second Amendment to the ITE Law (Law No. 1 of 2024) enacted

   The second revision of the 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions Law added child-safety obligations for platforms, localized electronic certification providers, and refined controversial defamation/prohibited-content provisions. It reshaped the core statute governing online speech and electronic systems.

   Baker McKenzie

5. 2 Jan 2024Law
   Second amendment to the ITE Law (Law No. 1 of 2024) signed

   President Joko Widodo signed the second revision of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, refining provisions on electronic systems, content, and criminal penalties that had drawn criticism for chilling online speech.

   SSEK Law Firm

6. 2 Jan 2024Law
   Second Amendment to the ITE Law (Law No. 1 of 2024)

   President signed the second amendment to the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, raising fines (e.g., up to IDR 10 billion), adding child-protection duties for electronic system operators, and tightening rules on false/misleading content. It strengthens the digital-platform liability backdrop relevant to AI-generated content and disinformation.

   Hogan Lovells

7. 30 Jul 2022Enforcement
   Kominfo blocks PayPal, Steam, Yahoo and others over PSE non-registration

   After a 20 July deadline under MR5, the Ministry blocked access to seven major unregistered private electronic system operators, triggering public backlash and a temporary PayPal reprieve. It demonstrated the enforcement teeth of Indonesia's platform-registration regime.

   Digital Policy Alert

8. 24 Nov 2020Law
   Ministerial Regulation 5/2020 on Private Electronic System Operators

   MR5 required all private platforms accessible in Indonesia to register, appoint local representatives, and remove 'prohibited' content within 4-24 hours, with government access to systems and data. It became the central content-moderation and platform-control instrument, widely criticized by rights groups.

   ARTICLE 19

9. 14 Jul 2017Incident
   Kominfo blocks Telegram over terrorism-related content

   The Ministry ordered ISPs to block Telegram domains, citing channels promoting radicalism and bomb-making after repeated unanswered takedown requests; the block was lifted once Telegram agreed to filter content and cooperate. It was a landmark assertion of state power over messaging platforms.

   Al Jazeera

10. 25 Nov 2016Law · official
    First Amendment to the ITE Law (Law 19/2016)

    The amendment introduced electronic system providers, a 'right to be forgotten,' government powers to terminate access to illegal content, and revised defamation/interception penalties following a Constitutional Court ruling. It expanded the state's content-removal authority over online platforms.

    Library of Congress

11. 21 Apr 2008Law
    Electronic Information and Transactions Law (Law 11/2008) enacted

    Indonesia's foundational cyber law criminalized defamation, hate speech, indecency and other 'prohibited content' online and recognized electronic information/transactions. It established the legal basis, and the long-running free-expression controversies, for regulating online content.

    DLA Piper

Sources

1. 1.hoganlovells.com/en/publications/highlight-amendment-of-indonesias-electronic-informat
2. 2.freedomhouse.org/country/indonesia/freedom-net/2024
3. 3.article19.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Legal-Analysis-Indonesia-Ministerial-Regul
4. 4.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/07/eff-and-partners-call-indonesia-repeal-invasive-con
5. 5.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2026-03-12/indonesia-regulation-introduces-
6. 6.ssek.com/blog/gr-17-2025-indonesia-imposes-child-protection-duties-on-online-p
7. 7.jurist.org/news/2026/03/indonesia-social-media-ban-for-minors-comes-into-effect/
8. 8.qoo10.co.id/en/tech/102130/only-20-percent-comply-with-content-removal-requests-i
9. 9.diff.wikimedia.org/2026/04/30/wikimedia-foundation-secured-governments-commitment-to-use
10. 10.en.antaranews.com/news/410118/indonesia-issues-child-data-protection-rules-pp-tunas-for
11. 11.restofworld.org/2022/indonesia-social-media-regulations/
12. 12.accessnow.org/press-release/indonesia-intermediary-liabilities/
13. 13.marketech-apac.com/indonesia-to-enforce-child-social-media-restrictions-starting-march-2