TikTok registration suspended in Indonesia amid data sharing concerns

Indonesia said it has suspended TikTok's registration status as an electronic system provider after it failed to hand over all data relating to the use of its live stream feature, though the social media app was still accessible to users on Friday.

Alexander Sabar, an official at Indonesia's communications and digital ministry, said in a statement some accounts with ties to online gambling activities used TikTok's live stream feature during recent national protests and monetised it.

Protests rocked the world's third-largest democracy over exorbitant lawmaker allowances and police brutality from late August to September. TikTok temporarily suspended its live feature during the protests, saying this was intended to "keep TikTok a safe and civil space."

Sabar said the government subsequently asked the company for its traffic, streaming and monetisation data. The company, owned by China's ByteDance, only provided partial data, citing its internal procedures, Sabar said.

"So the communications and digital ministry deemed TikTok to have violated its obligations as a private electronic provider," and suspended its registration, he said.

The regulation regarding the list states every company that has signed up to Indonesia's licensing rules must hand over its data to the government for the purpose of supervision or risk being blocked.

TikTok, which has more than 100 million accounts based in Indonesia, did not respond to a request for comment.

It was unclear if access to TikTok in Indonesia was fully blocked. Reuters was able to access the application as normal on Friday. The ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.