Indonesia blocks Steam, PayPal and other services due to missed deadline on new regulation!
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Indonesia's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Kominfo, is now blocking access to internet and content service providers that had not registered with the country's new licensing platform by July 27, 2022, as the country begins to restrict access to online content providers and services.
The first blocks began on Friday, a day before the June 26 deadline, and according to the Internet access monitoring org NetBlocks, some of the service providers include Yahoo, Steam and PayPal.
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Other Indonesian sources also report that Battlenet, Epic Games, and other gaming portals used by millions of gamers in the country are inaccessible.
The blocks appear to be the result of a coordinated action between Kominfo and all the major ISPs (internet service providers) in the country. However, some smaller ones are still escaping the new regulations.
According to many user reports, VPNs can bypass enforced blocks for now, but when using them with online payment services or gaming portals, there may be issues with network speed and account fingerprint mismatches.
Due to the blockades, many PayPal users in Indonesia have been locked out of their accounts. However, a spokesman said the government may temporarily unblock the payment platforms this week to allow withdrawals.
New Internet regulation
The new regulatory framework introduced by Indonesia's IT ministry last year was presented as a content control that was said to be introduced to protect national security and prevent the spread of fake news.
The regulation mandates the mandatory registration of all internet service providers on a new licensing platform that allows them to operate legally in the country. Those who do not register are considered illegal entities and will be blocked from the Indonesian internet.
The law requires all registered entities to designate a local representative and office that responds to censorship requests and unrestricted information disclosure demands from the state.
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Any information published on platforms of registered service providers is subject to state control, as is any information regarding user accounts, communication on these sites, and all other forms of data exchange.
If the government requests the urgent removal of material deemed harmful to national security and the public, the service provider must respond to the request within four hours. For non-urgent censorship requests, providers are given up to 24 hours to respond.
By the deadline, about 200 foreign and 8,000 domestic internet service providers had registered, including Google, Meta, TikTok, Instagram and Spotify, who would not want to be evicted from such a large population of 270 million people.
The new law passed despite numerous voices raised by journalistic coalitions and free speech advocates in Indonesia, who were concerned that it would be used as a tool of government censorship and to limit press freedom in the country.
Information source: bleepingcomputer.com
