Indonesia slams Meta over rising disinformation and online gambling content

The Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs has reportedly issued a stern warning to Meta’s platforms for failing to properly regulate the spread of illegal and harmful content, said in an official statement on Thursday. The recent revelation comes after Indonesia’s Communications and Digital Affairs Minister, Meutya made an unscheduled visit to Meta’s operational office in Jakarta.

Following the visit, Meta faced intense criticism in the wake of its low level of compliance with Indonesian regulation regarding the spread of content involving disinformation, online gambling, defamation, and hate speech across its platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

According to Reuters, Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the current incident. In line with the ministry’s remarks, Meta had taken action on only 28.47% of flagged content related to online gambling and defamation.

In this connection, Metuya said: “Disinformation, defamation, and hate content threaten lives in Indonesia, yet Meta has allowed them to persist.”

The Ministry has urged Meta to comply with safety rules and find ways to strengthen its content moderation systems, while calling for the immediate removal of illegal and harmful material. Last year, the ministry had convened representatives from Meta and other social media platforms to elevate content moderation in the wake of dissemination of misinformation and disinformation.