Minister of Communication and Information Reveals the Fate of Telegram and Bigo Live in Indonesia, Will They Be Blocked?

Todaysgist.com, Jakarta – The Ministry of Communication and Information is known to have sent warning letters to two foreign platforms, namely Telegram and Bigo Live. The warning was given because both were suspected of helping to foster online gambling and pornographic content.

It is known that the Ministry of Communication and Information has sent two warning letters to each platform. So, what is the fate of the two platforms in Indonesia?

Responding to this, the Minister of Communication and Information, Budi Arie Setiadi, stated that his party was still waiting for a study from the Directorate General of Aptika, before taking firm steps on platforms such as Telegram.

“We have warned Telegram almost twice, because it also does a lot or its platform facilitates not only gambling, but also pornography. We are waiting for the study from the Aptika team, if there is a study that I think is sufficient, we will take wise and firm steps,” he said in a press conference in Jakarta, Wednesday (28/8/2024).

However, he said, he could not yet provide a definite schedule for the Ministry of Communication and Information’s strict action to be taken on the platform. Because, it was done after getting the results of the study from the Aptika team.

Similar to Telegram, the Minister of Communication and Information stated that his party also applied the same thing to Bigo Live. Moreover, the platform has received a second warning, leaving the third warning letter as the final one.

“For now, based on the team’s report, the evidence is sufficient. It’s pornography, it’s online gambling, it’s gambling advertisements. When they said to fix it in the first (letter), it turned out it still didn’t, in the second (letter). Now the third, that’s it. I think it’s time. game over. Just wait,” he explained further.

On the other hand, in response to the threat, Bigo Live previously stated that it had taken firm steps by tightening content moderation. The company has removed thousands of accounts that violated community guidelines, especially those related to online gambling and pornography content.

The company explained that this is part of Bigo Live’s commitment to providing a safe and clean digital environment. “We never tolerate sensitive or offensive content on our platform,” Bigo Live said in a statement.