Indonesia demands Facebook, Instagram to remove online gambling content

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Budi Arie Setiadi, the Indonesian minister of communication and information, has called for social media giant Meta to promptly remove online gambling content from its platforms. This covers any content that supports, facilitates, or promotes online gambling activities.

The ministry sent a warning letter to Meta on October 2.

“If Meta fails to take appropriate action in response to this warning, we will escalate the matter to law enforcement for decisive action,” said Setiadi in a statement.

Usman Kansong, the director general of public information and communication at the ministry, told Tech in Asia that Meta has committed to and begun taking down the online gambling ads.

However, the ministry still finds such ads on Meta platforms today, he added. Failure to complete the removal process may lead the ministry to impose administrative sanctions in accordance with applicable laws.

“We have not set a deadline, but we request that it be done as soon as possible. We are monitoring it continuously,” Kansong said.

Indonesian regulations prohibit digital platforms from providing or facilitating gambling content and related activities, as does Meta’s official policy.

In addition to Meta, Setiadi has also spoken with Google and other digital platforms on this issue.

See also: TikTok Shop ban in Indonesia: Who is it really protecting?

A version of this article was originally written by Abidah Naqiya on Tech in Asia Indonesia.