Google, Facebook And Twitter Are Threatened To Be Blocked, Security Experts Call It A Form Of Government Assertiveness

SEMARANG - Three technology giants Google, Facebook, and Twitter are threatened with being blocked on July 20, 2022 because they have not registered for an electronic system operator (PSE)

Head of the Indonesian Cyber Research Institute CISSReC Doctor Pratama Persadha said the plan to block three technology giants shows the government can be firm with Facebook (FB), Google, and Twitter as well as shows that the state is not subject to multinational companies.

"When calculated from the number of users, for example Twitter, active users in the country are 10 million to 15 million people. So, there is no reason not to be assertive," said this cybersecurity expert when confirmed in Semarang, Antara, Monday, July 18.

In fact, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo), said Pratama, had been firm against Telegram, which at that time had 10 million users. However, he continued, in the Regulation of the Minister of Communication and Information Number 10 of 2021 concerning Amendments to the Minister of Communication and Information Technology Number 5 of 2020 concerning Electronic System Operators for the Private Scope, there are several articles that are considered rubber, for example Article 9 and Article 14.

In the article, said Pratama, it is possible to take down (remove) content and access information on the grounds of disturbing public order and disturbing the public.

He then compared with other countries. This can be done if there is a case beforehand and permission for the request is issued by the court.

"So, the points of the rubber article should be reviewed by Kominfo and negotiated together with elements of the community," said Pratama.

Alluding to the threat to FB, he said that there are more than 130 million users in the country. However, the need for FB is not as critical as Google, whose services have been widely used, even on campuses, companies, and also local and central governments.

However, Pratama said, keep in mind that Facebook is not alone, there are WhatsApp and Instagram also under one umbrella, Meta (a social networking service headquartered in Menlo Park, California, United States).

"So WhatsApp and Instagram are also in danger of being blocked?" asked Primary.

According to Pratama, WhatsApp will be a serious concern because it is the main instant messaging application (short messages) used today.

Therefore, the approach cannot be the same as Telegram, which was immediately threatened with blocking because there were not too many users.

Pratama considers that there needs to be a long time lag for socialization to the community and also gives time to FB as the "owner" of WhatsApp to register PSE with Kominfo.

"So, shock therapy is also needed because so far they feel safer and bigger because there are so many users in Indonesia," said Pratama.

That includes their courage, especially FB, for tax matters. In fact, FB is also reluctant to open an office in Indonesia. This social media only opens an office with a security guard to receive letters only.

He said that people would understand if there was a communication approach ahead of time. Currently there are still a few days for the government through the Kominfo to provide an explanation.

The Public Needs To Know

The public needs to know that if FB and Twitter do not immediately fulfill the conditions for PSE to operate in the country, Pratama said, the social media service will be temporarily blocked until they fulfill the conditions for PSE to operate in Indonesia.

He said that FB will lose a lot because there are relatively many users in Indonesia. Therefore, announcements from the government are very important, especially advertisers on FB and Twitter to temporarily stop their ads when the platform is blocked.

Regarding Google, Pratama expects that it will get more public rejection because its use has reached various elements of society, ranging from campuses, offices, to the government using Google's services.

Not to mention, he continued, YouTube under Google has become a platform for making money for many parties. However, the worst thing is Google services on android smartphones. When blocked, many services do not work.

On that basis, said Pratama, the European Union prohibits Google from providing its applications by default (default) on Android phones circulating in European Union countries. Apart from violating the monopoly rules, this also reduces the dependence of the people of that country on Google applications.

"Once again, the approach for Google is a bit different. It's better if the country doesn't lose against Google cum suis (and friends) because other countries have been strict with minimum fines. If you don't pay Google and their friends' fine, their services will be blocked," said Pratama.