TikTok’s License Restored in Indonesia After Data Disclosure

Jakarta in Indonesia, on the northwest coast of the island of Java, has its ministry of communication and digital affairs announced that it has removed its ban on TikTok’s local operating licence after the social media company provided information regarding recent protests that the government had requested.

TikTok’s licence was temporarily suspended by Indonesia’s Communication and Digital Affairs on Friday due to a breach of the company’s duties as a private electronic system operator. TikTok had declined to give full information about user behaviour, especially during the August 25–30 protests.

TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance of China, has more than 100 million users, with Indonesia having the second-largest audience globally had informed the government in a letter dated September 23 that it was unable to completely cooperate with the data request due to internal restrictions, the ministry’s website said Friday.

Prior to this, the ministry claimed to have “temporarily suspended” the app’s operating permit for not providing sufficient information on the actions of its live function during the August anti-government rallies.

The deadly demonstrations against police violence and the privileges of MPs broke out in late August throughout the third-largest democracy in the world. There were ten fatalities reported. TikTok voluntarily suspended live streaming on August 30 in response to the escalating violence in Indonesia. The site resumed live streaming a few days later as tensions subsided, citing precautions to maintain a safe and civic environment.

Alexander Sabar, the director general of the ministry, said in a statement late Saturday (Oct. 4) that TikTok provided the needed data that same day.

The minister has stated that, it is based on the fulfilment of those obligations, the communication and digital affairs ministry … reactivated TikTok’s status as a registered electronic system operator.”

Although a TikTok representative declined to comment, the video-sharing app has stated in the past that it complies with local laws in the markets it serves.

Operating in Indonesia has presented a number of difficulties for the company in question.

In August, after a man was killed by a police car, it momentarily halted its live service due to violent demonstrations.

Indonesia’s antitrust body penalised TikTok US$900,000 on Monday for not informing authorities about its purchase of the online marketplace Tokopedia in a timely manner.

In 2023, the government also discontinued its e-commerce feature as it shifted to support small enterprises.

After thereafter, it combined their shopping arms by purchasing a 75% share in Tokopedia, Indonesia’s biggest e-commerce platform.

Since the former general had a troubled past during the dark days of Indonesia’s dictatorship, the suspension of TikTok’s licence sparked social media concerns about free expression rights under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.