Indonesian digital firms given six extra months to comply with new internet policy

A regulation signed by Communications and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate in November 2020 grants the ministry sweeping authority to censor digital content.(Shutterstock/File)

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): Local and foreign digital service providers have been granted a six-month grace period to register with the government as mandated by a recent regulation that grants the state sweeping authority to censor digital content.

Communications and Information Ministerial Regulation No. 5/2020, signed by minister Johnny G. Plate in November of last year, allows the ministry to remove prohibited content on digital platforms owned by the public, individuals or private companies, known as digital service providers (PSEs).