Indonesia curbs social media, blaming hoaxes for inflaming unrest


  • World
  • Wednesday, 22 May 2019

Protesters shout slogans outside the Central Sulawesi General Election Commission (KPU) office in Palu, Indonesia May 22, 2019 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Basri Marzuki/ via REUTERS

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia has introduced curbs on social media in a bid to prevent the spread of hoaxes, some calling for violent post-election attacks, and quell two days of protests in the capital.

Fact-checkers say hoaxes and calls for violence on social media networks have spiked since Tuesday when an official election count confirmed President Joko Widodo as the winner, a result contested by his challenger, Prabowo Subianto.

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