Indonesia to restore Wikimedia access after PSE registration

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) said it will restore access to affected Wikimedia services after the Wikimedia Foundation completes registration and the registration is verified by Komdigi as a private PSE.

The registration requirement follows Regulation of the Minister of Communication and Informatics No. 5 of 2020, which mandates platforms that provide services, process personal data, or whose services are available or used in Indonesia to register.

Alexander Sabar, director general, said the government values Wikimedia’s contribution to public knowledge but that nonprofit status does not exempt platforms from data protection duties.

Komdigi said it will restore access to the affected Wikimedia authentication service.

Komdigi added it supports open information as long as platforms comply with national law.

🔗 Source: Bisnis Indonesia

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

This registration rule previously blocked Steam and PayPal

In July 2022, Indonesian authorities blocked several large online platforms after they missed a registration deadline under the same regulation 1.
PayPal, Steam, Epic Games Store, and Yahoo became unavailable in Indonesia, cutting off access to games and other online services 1.
Officials reopened PayPal for five days so people could move their assets, which mattered for freelancers and online businesses that relied on it 1.
The 2020 regulation also lets the government request user data and order platforms to remove content deemed to “disturb public order” within as little as four hours 2.

Indonesia’s digital crackdown creates a risky bet for investors

Tough enforcement collides with Indonesia’s push to become a regional tech hub while it also tightens control over online content 3.
The “Making Indonesia 4.0” roadmap (an industrial and digital development plan) targets a top-10 global economy, yet analysts say sudden access bans set a “bad precedent” for foreign investment 3.
The 2022 shutdowns added to investor worries about unpredictable rules in a country ranked 47th for business legislation in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking 2022 (a global business-conditions survey) 3.
Each new move, including action against Wikimedia, keeps global tech firms and venture capitalists focused on the risks of operating in Southeast Asia’s largest market 3.