Jakarta: Indonesia has issued a strong warning to social media company Meta over the spread of disinformation and illegal content on its platforms, saying the company must take stronger action to control harmful material online.
Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said the government had delivered a stern warning to Meta after authorities found that the company was not responding effectively to reports about harmful content. The warning came after the minister made an unannounced visit to Meta’s office in Jakarta to review how the company handles online complaints.
Officials said Meta had acted on only a small portion of the content flagged by the government, including posts related to online gambling and misleading information. According to the ministry, the company responded to about 28 percent of the reports sent by Indonesian authorities.
The government said the slow response raised concerns about the spread of harmful information on social media platforms used by millions of people in the country.
Minister Hafid said disinformation, hate speech and online scams could harm society and create instability if they are not addressed quickly. She urged the company to improve its systems to detect and remove illegal or misleading content faster.
Indonesia has been tightening rules for digital platforms in recent years as the number of social media users continues to grow. Authorities have repeatedly warned global technology companies that they must follow local regulations and cooperate with the government to prevent the spread of harmful online material.
Indonesia has one of the largest social media audiences in the world, with hundreds of millions of internet users. The government says stronger cooperation from platforms like Meta is essential to protect users and maintain trust in digital spaces.