Cloudflare to review Indonesian registration rules over concerns

Cloudflare held a virtual meeting with Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) on November 25 to discuss compliance with the country’s private electronic system operator (PSE) registration requirements.

Cloudflare is a US-based internet infrastructure company that provides cybersecurity and web performance services.

The meeting, attended by Komdigi officials and Cloudflare’s public policy leaders for Asia-Pacific, covered Cloudflare’s obligations under Indonesia’s PSE regulations, and explored cooperation on content moderation, particularly regarding illegal digital content.

Cloudflare would review the registration requirements and indicated willingness to set up a dedicated reporting channel for Komdigi to support content moderation efforts.

The company clarified its role as an infrastructure provider that does not directly curate content.

Komdigi said Cloudflare and other private PSEs must still fulfill administrative registration obligations under Indonesian law, and the ministry will continue monitoring compliance.

Previously, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital has been considering blocking Cloudflare, ChatGPT, and 23 other internet services that have not registered as private electronic system providers in the country.

🔗 Source: Kementerian Komunikasi dan Digital

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Indonesia’s PSE rules give broad powers, leave infrastructure duties unclear

Private electronic system operator (PSE) rules under Ministerial Regulation 5/2020 (an Indonesian rule on online service registration and takedown obligations) require any domestic or foreign operator that serves Indonesian users to register, with non-compliance bringing warnings or suspension or blocking 1.
The rule requires removal within 24 hours for content that ‘incites unrest’ or ‘disturbs public order’ 1, yet its reach over internet infrastructure providers like Cloudflare that do not curate content remains unclear. Its scope covers ‘almost any online service or application’ 2, which confuses firms that offer security and performance, not content hosting.
Authorities blocked over 213,000 web pages in 2022 and enforced PSE registration by temporarily blocking platforms including PayPal, so a block on an infrastructure provider could disrupt many services 3.

Foreign PSEs need support

By July 2022, 125 foreign PSEs registered vs 6,604 domestic ones 4. Many are new to the Online Single Submission Risk-Based Approach (OSS-RBA) 3. The process asks for detailed documents, system disclosures, and a local representative in Indonesia 3.
Business-to-business providers focused on PSE compliance can help from start to finish 5 6. They handle OSS submission and appoint a local representative. They provide regulatory translations and run regular checks 5 6.
Check status at pse.kominfo.go.id 7.
Indonesia’s digital economy could pass $130 billion by 2025 8, drawing foreign platforms that need registration help, so outreach timed to enforcement news can work as seen after the July 2022 deadline 1.